Roger Federer stirred controversy on social media after confessing that he had more regrets against his greatest rivals, Rafael Nadal and Juan Martín del Potro, than against Novak Djokovic. The Serb ousted the Swiss legend in his last Grand Slam final appearance at Wimbledon in 2019.
In the pulsating 2019 Wimbledon final, Federer was statistically ahead in every aspect, but the Serb brought the title home after saving two match points in the fifth set. Fans were dismayed and felt it was the toughest defeat the Swiss Maestro had endured in his illustrious career.
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Years later, while looking back at his career, Roger Federer doesn’t see it as his toughest loss. Federer still carries regrets of losing his untouched five-consecutive US Open titles streak to Potro in 2009 and many more against Rafael Nadal.
“The US Open final in ‘09 against Delpo haunts me more. Because it broke an incredible streak of five [Slam wins] and I knew I was never going to get that back. That Wimbledon final versus Rafa also snapped the super streak. Funnily, I have more regrets against Rafa and Delpo than I have with the Novak match,” Roger Federer said while speaking to ESPN Tennis.
His confession enraged Novak Djokovic’s fans, who took to X to slam Federer. They called him out for having a “fake personality” and being “arrogant” for snubbing the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
“Once an arrogant p****, always an arrogant p****,” a user wrote on X.
“He’s so full of it. Acting like he regrets the loss to Delpo more than Novak. One of the fakest personalities of all time,” a user remarked.
“Hahaha, by saying it doesn’t hurt you, it means it does hurt you… Hahaha, you still haven’t gotten over it,” a user quipped.
“He’s a liar. This isn’t even believable at all. He would’ve relished beating Novak in that final over losing to Delpo once,” a user stated.
“Lying to himself,” another user added.
Roger Federer backs Novak Djokovic to lift record 25th Grand Slam
From Sunday, Novak Djokovic will pursue his ambitions to cement his place in record books with a record-shattering 25th Grand Slam. Djokovic, with 24 Majors, is one short of achieving what no player could claim before him.
Roger Federer, the 20-time Grand Slam champion, has put his weight behind the seasoned Serb to have a real shot at bagging the silverware in New York.
“I feel like whenever Novak enters any tournament, for that matter, or a major, he’ll have a shot. Anyway, that’s my opinion. I have high regards of Novak. I’ve seen what he can do, not just once, not just here or there. He’s done it in every place and at the highest of levels,” Roger Federer said while speaking to the media.
“I always think that as long as he’s in the draw, there’s a chance. I think that’s also one of the reasons he’s still playing, because he actually truly must believe that he can still do it. That’s my opinion, too,” he added.
Djokovic missed his shot at the 2026 Australian Open final against Carlos Alcaraz earlier this year. With Jannik Sinner out due to a right knee issue and Alcaraz in doubt, the 39-year-old will have a realistic shot at realising his dream.
Edited by Pritha Ghosh