Beating Roger Federer on Centre Court at Wimbledon was an "indescribable" experience: Hubert Hurkacz

In his third Wimbledon appearance, Hubert Hurkacz notched up the biggest win of his career when he dumped out eight-time champion Roger Federer in straight sets in the quarterfinals.

In an interaction with Polish site sport.dziennik.pl, the 24-year-old revealed that it was quite an experience for him locking horns with the Swiss legend on his Centre Court debut.

Hurkacz beat an off-colour Federer 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-0, handing the 39-year-old his first-ever bagel at Wimbledon.

In their previous meeting, the Swiss had emerged with a straight-sets win in the 2019 Miami quarterfinals. But in their first clash at a Major, it was the young Pole who made a strong start to take the opener.

Hurkacz then took the second set in a tiebreak to stun a partisan Centre Court crowd. The expected fightback from Federer never materialized and Hurkacz whizzed past the finish line without dropping a game in the third set.

An ovation for 22 years of memories 👏It's been a pleasure as always, @rogerfederer #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/GvsOenp68C

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2021

"The truth is that beating Federer on that court where he has achieved so many victories, with all the public supporting him and with what it means for world tennis, is something indescribable," said Hurkacz. "Certainly, this success gave me more self-confidence and increased my willingness to win."

Hurkacz, though, fell short in his quest to reach his first Major final, going down to Matteo Berrettini in four sets in the next round.

The Pole said he was happy with his run at SW19 despite the disappointing ending.

"In London, it was a great success because it was the first time in a Grand Slam tournament that I had climed so high," he said. "However, some hunger remained, because I was close to the final and I could have played a little better against Berrettini."

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Hubert Hurkacz sets sights on Tokyo; Roger Federer withdraws

Roger Federer

In the same interaction, Hurkacz said his exploits at Wimbledon would help him in his quest to win a medal at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

"I think the result in London is going to help me a lot. I came out of the tournament with great confidence and, above all, with a strong will to win and keep improving, something that I would love to do at the Olympic Games," said Hurkacz.

"Competing in an Olympic event is one of the dreams of every athlete, it motivates me a lot to think that I can get a medal for my country."

Meanwhile, shortly after his disappointing defeat to Hurkacz at Wimbledon, Roger Federer joined a host of top players in withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics.

In a post on his social media account, Federer, who had two knee surgeries last year, revealed that he suffered a "setback" with his knee at Wimbledon and had no option but to pull out.

pic.twitter.com/ngIlD6MYew

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) July 13, 2021

In what would have been his fifth appearance in the quadrennial competition, Federer would have been expected to challenge for the elusive gold medal in singles.

The Swiss lost to Andy Murray in the gold-medal match at the London Olympics in 2012. Four years later, an injured Federer pulled out of the Rio Olympics.

Federer's finest hour at the Olympics came in Beijing in 2008 when he combined with his good friend and compatriot Stan Wawrinka to win the doubles.

The Swiss' withdrawal from Tokyo means he might never play another match at an Olympics. He will be almost 43 by the time the next Games rolls around in Paris in three years' time.