Novak Djokovic pinpoints moment he 'mentally' had beating of Roger Federer
The 24-time Grand Slam winner has revealed the moment he knew he would win his epic 2019 Wimbledon men's final against Roger Federer
Djokovic celebrates after ending year as world no.1
Novak Djokovic has recalled how his mentality helped him to defeat Roger Federer in the pair's iconic Wimbledon men's final in 2019. The final is one of the most memorable occasions tennis has seen in recent history which boiled down to an intense fifth set after almost five hours.
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The final saw Djokovic and Federer almost at the peak of their powers, having been ranked at World No. 1 and 2 respectively at the time. The meeting was the third Wimbledon final that included both players, with Djokovic having won on both occasions prior, in 2014 and 2015.
Djokovic came into the match as the defending champion and started on the front foot to claim the first set 7-6 (7-5). Federer would put on a dominant display to win the second set 6-1, before losing the third in another tie-breaker - 7-6 (7-4).
Federer claimed the fourth to force a decider, but a final 13-12 (7-3) slog saw the Serbian come out as the eventual winner. The final lasted four hours and 57 minutes, making it the longest Wimbledon final in the competition's history and the last major final of Federer's career.
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While the final has lived fondly in tennis fan's memories, it has also been etched into Djokovic's brain as a moment in which he overcame mental fatigue. The tennis great has since recalled the match in an interview on CBS' 60 minutes.
Speaking with interviewer Jon Wertheim, the host asked if there were matches where Djokovic would feel as if he were the better player and mentally more prepared for the challenge.
“That happened in 2019 when I played finals of Wimbledon that, that marathon match, epic match with Roger,” Djokovic said before adding that he remembers Federer having two match points on his serve “very well.”
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“I beat him 13-12 in the fifth set,” he added. “The sets that I won were all won in tie breaks, seven-six, seven-six, 13-12. And overall, if you see stats, he was far better player in every aspect.
“But I won the match. And so that actually tells you that you can still win if you pick and choose in which moments of the match you're peaking, and you're playing your best when it matters.”
Federer wasn’t the only opponent Djokovic enjoyed a healthy rivalry with on the courts. The Serbian also faced 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal on 59 occasions, with the Spaniard coming out the victor in 29 of those matches.
Djokovic recalled an encounter with Nadal during one of the pair’s French Open clashes and admitted to feeling intimidated by his antics in the locker room.
“I'm playing Nadal in Roland Garros, and I have his locker next to my locker, right? So, we are so close,” he said. “And we're tryin' to give each other space. But then the locker room is also not that big. And, the way you jump around like Nadal does before we go out on the court. In the locker room, he's doing sprints next to you. I can even hear the music he's listening to, you know, in his headphones. So, you know, it's pissing me off.”
“Early in my career, I didn't realize how all that's part of the scenario, right?” he went on to add. “So, I was getting intimidated by that. But it's also motivating me to do stuff myself and to show that I'm ready, you know? I'm ready for a battle, for a war.”
