London (AFP)

Roger Federer, close to a 21st Grand Slam Sunday, has once again made history at Wimbledon with an epic final. But soon 38 years, the question arises whether the Swiss has let his last chance.

"That one, it will feel for a long time" ... The words of Boris Becker at the microphone of the BBC Sunday evening summarize what most specialists have thought Sunday night. To be so close to a 9th coronation in London and a 21st Grand Slam, facing a Novak Djokovic who had left the door ajar, could leave traces.

. Feverish Federer

The score sheet of this final is full of statistics in favor of Switzerland: he has signed 94 winning shots against 54 for Djokovic. He also scored more points (218 against 204), and more games (36 versus 32). If we add his two match balls in the 5th set to 8-7 on his service, the list is long. Figures that highlight this incongruity: he should not have lost. And the question of where and how this game escaped him may be trotting a little in the head.

"It had to be played at once, I do not know which one to choose, I do not know where I lose the match, on a service or on a forehand, I do not even want to take that turn ", he released Sunday in a press conference.

Mats Wilander, former N.1 world (1988), has already given him his answer. "At 8-7 40-15, he should never have served strong in the center, he should have been on the first shot, he should have been sliced ​​on the forehand. ", wrote the Swede to the seven Grand Slams in his column at L'Equipe.

He goes a little further in tactical criticism. "In fact Federer pays the years 2004-2007 where he dominated his rivals so much that he never had to dispute an important point ... (...) It was too easy for him. (...) Today faced with guys like Nadal and Djokovic, who are the masters in the matter, he does not play the important points correctly. "

Federer has also lost his last two matches at Wimbledon having had match points (one against Kevin Anderson in 2018 in the quarter-finals).

. Federer still green

There is also what we can now call the Djokovic complex. Federer suffered his fifth consecutive loss to the Serbian side in a Grand Slam tournament on Sunday. He has not won in four years against Djokovic: his last victory dates back to the 2015 Masters in London, in a group match.

The last time Federer won against the Serbian Grand Slam was in 2012 at Wimbledon. And he has not won a Major final against the World No.1 since ... 12 years.

The Master, who has not won a Grand Slam for a year and a half, no longer has the key to beat Djokovic.

But all this should not hide the extraordinary at Federer who also proved that he was still competitive. He beat Nadal in the semi-finals and came close to winning against Djokovic. Its speed of movement, among others, is still tantalizing the Next Gen. And this is not the first blow of his career. "I will try to forget it," replied the Swiss humorously at the awards ceremony when her interviewer mentioned an "unforgettable" finale.

"It hurts like every defeat at Wimbledon, but I'm strong enough to bounce back, and I do not want to be depressed because of an incredible tennis match," said Federer.

© 2019 AFP