Wimbledon Loss To Djokovic Broke Federer, Says Former US Tennis Ace

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic — In this picture, Roger Federer of Switzerland congratulates Novak Djokovic of Serbia after their match during the men's final of the Western & Southern Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, Aug. 19, 2018. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Former US tennis ace James Blake has suggested that the Wimbledon 2019 final loss to Novak Djokovic "kind of broke" Roger Federer and was certainly "devastating."

In a jam-packed Centre Court, who evidently wanted Federer to win, the Swiss Master lost a thrilling five-set to Djokovic. The match that lasted for four hours ended at 7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 4-6, 13-12 in the favour of the Serbian.

Speaking about the iconic final, Blake said, "Roger is one of the best I've ever seen at having a short memory and putting it behind him. That one, for him to even admit that it kind of broke him a bit, you know how devastating that was. … He and (Pete) Sampras are the two best I've ever seen with finishing a match - win or lose - and be done with it and worrying about the next one," the former World No. 4 added.

During his playing days, Blake had experienced what is to be on the other side of a fired-up Federer. Blake reached the final of ATP Finals just once in his career of 14 years and that happened in 2006. Unfortunately for the American, he faced Federer in the final, who thrashed Blake in straight sets.

Meanwhile, Blake's compatriot and four-time Grand Slam winner Jim Courier insisted that it is hard to know if the loss to Djokovic has affected Federer or not.

"I don't think that we'll really know unless he gets back to a situation where he's serving for another Slam at 40-15 and we'll see how he reacts. We'll see if he's loose or if he's tight. But I think it's hard to tell in general afterwards how that loss may have affected him or not affected him," the tennis player-turned-commentator added.

After losing the battle after four hours at the Centre Court, earlier this year in Wimbledon, Federer did mention he'll "take time to recover."

While Djokovic clinched his fifth Wimbledon title and overall 17th Grand Slam in the Open Era, the then 37-year-old Federer's unbelievable efforts went in vain. "I feel great, I gave it all I had. I’m still standing. I’ll take some time to recover," the legendary tennis player said after getting dethroned in his own den of Centre Court.

The likes of Federer and Djokovic soon will be in action in London's O2 Arena for the ATP Finals 2019. The tournament will also feature World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, provided his fitness permits.