Roger Federer Still ‘Hungry And Motivated’ For A Grand Slam Title
For the third time this season, Swiss tennis great Roger Federer became the victim of ruthless onslaught of one of his rivals, Novak Djokovic, when he lost to the Serb 7-6(1) 6-7(10) 6-4 6-3 in the finals of the 2015 edition of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Club. Federer came close to winning a grand slam title like what happened last year, but he also fell to the hands Djokovic. Despite the three-year grand slam drought, Federer knows that he still has one more grand slam title in him.
Federer has won seven titles at the All England Club. He is tied with retired American tennis legend Pete Sampras with the most Wimbledon titles in the Open Era. However, the Swiss, who turns 34 this August, has not won a grand slam title since then. He has also not been able to reach a final of a grand slam tournament until recently, which was a repeat of last year’s Wimbledon final when he also lost to Djokovic in a thrilling five-set match 6-7 6-4 7-6 5-7 6-4.
The 17-time grand slam champion pledged that he will come back following his loss to the Serb on Sunday’s finals. He said that he was still inspired and eager to add an 18th grand slam trophy to his already long list of tennis achievements.
“I am still very hungry and motivated,” Federer said on the court following his defeat. “A match like this is very hopeful.”
When Federer claimed his seventh Wimbledon title in 2012, he was only able to make the final of a grand slam twice. His grand slam stats since then include quarterfinal appearance (US Open 2012, French Open 2013 and 2015), semifinal appearance (Australian Open 2013 and 2014, US Open 2014), and a runner-up finish at Wimbledon (2014 and 2015).
Federer took the sting of his recent loss and said in a post-match interview that it was definitely difficult to walk away empty-handed. He said it would have been “nicer” if he won, but losing is part of the game.
“Clearly I was always going to believe hard today that I was going to come through as the winner, but still always being humble knowing how tough it was going to be,” Federer told the reporters. “I think I was able to show that on the court today, how close it really was.”
Federer now shifts his focus on the fourth grand slam event of the season, which takes place at Flushing Meadows from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13. Federer is a five-time US Open champion, having had won the event for five consecutive times from 2004 to 2008. He has 72-10 win-loss record at the US Open.
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