From the 2012 Wimbledon championships until the 2017 Australian Open, Roger Federer failed to win a Grand Slam title.
In that time, he had made three finals and five semi-finals, but struggled to go all the way at each major event he appeared at.
Two of his near misses during the drought came at Wimbledon, when in 2014 and 2015, Federer lost in back-to-back finals against Novak Djokovic in SW19.
Djokovic defeated the Swiss legend over four sets in 2015 to clinch his third title at the All England Club, and ninth overall.
After the match, Federer spoke on his ongoing dry spell at Grand Slams while reflecting on the final.
What Roger Federer said about his Grand Slam drought in 2015
In his post-match press conference, Federer was asked: “How does the absence of a Grand Slam in your resume over the last couple of years affect you?
He responded: “It would have been nicer to win some than to lose some. At the same time I lost against the world No.1 at the moment.
“That’s the kind of guy you probably can lose against. But I’m not going to accept it and say, It’s normal. It’s not. I’ve beaten him a few times.
“I’m one of the few guys who’s gotten a chance. Same with Stan and a few guys that have given Novak a run for the money.
“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.
“I think I was able to show that on the court today, how close it really was. Even though at the end it might look routine, but I don’t think that was the case.
“So, you know, 13 was always tough. 14 was always on the comeback. This here, this time last year, I started to play much better. That’s why I made the finals, I do believe.
“Also US Open was good. This was good again. The Australian Open was a disappointment. So I’m right there. My game is good.
“I got broken very few times this tournament. I played on my terms. Things are all right. So it’s just I ran into guys sometimes who just are really playing very well, maybe Cilic, or now even Seppi, today, Novak again.”
What Roger Federer said was ‘awkward’ at the end of the 2015 Wimbledon final
Federer continued: “It’s no fun ever losing, really, unless you know that you’ve entertained the crowd, you can be happy with your performance, and then you get it over quicker.
“But it doesn’t mean, you know, you’re not disappointed, or you just kind of move on easily from it.
Some matches tend to be easier to digest.
“This one feels the case, just because of the end of it. It was awkward, you know, having to shut the roof. You go take a shower. You come back for the ceremony. I was like, give it to Novak.
“It’s his moment. Okay, fine. Let’s go take a shower, and come back. So that was weird.
“I think that gave me a chance to also settle down and come back and have a much better idea of what actually happened out on court.”
The former world number one’s next Grand Slam title came at the Australian Open in 2017, when he defeated Rafael Nadal over five sets.
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