Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic final at Wimbledon 2019 greater than 1980 & 2008 finals, say Becker & Edberg

The 'Super-coaches' of tennis, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, appeared on Eurosport's vodcast recently, where they talked about a variety of subjects. In particular, they made a surprising claim that the Wimbledon 2019 final between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic was the greatest match ever - even greater than the summit clashes featuring Rafael Nadal and Federer (2008) and Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe (1980).

The host Mats Wilander spoke about the 40th anniversary of the epic encounter between Borg and McEnroe during the chat, and asked the guests about their opinions on the best Wimbledon final of all time. Both Becker and Edberg picked the 2019 finale as the best.

"The best tennis match that I've ever seen!"@theborisbecker and Stefan Edberg join Mats Wilander to discuss last year's "incredible" Wimbledon final between @RogerFederer and @DjokerNole 🏆🇬🇧🎧 Subscribe to Tennis Legends (full episode out 19:00): https://t.co/3mJURW1fub pic.twitter.com/mWFaGhB0qD

— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) July 9, 2020

Roger Federer was a better player than Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon 2019 final: Boris Becker

Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3)

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer played one of the most thrilling tennis matches in history at last year's Wimbledon.

The Serb had reached the grand finale without breaking much sweat in the earlier rounds. He had dropped only one set each to Hubert Hurkacz and Roberto Bautista Agut, and had seemingly gotten better with each passing match.

On the other side, Federer had lost his first set of the competition and played grueling encounters against Kei Nishikori and Rafael Nadal on the road to the final. Moreover, Novak Djokovic had the age factor on his side.

The finale lasted for four hours and 57 minutes, with the number one seed Novak Djokovic prevailing over his rival in a nail-biting finish.

Boris Becker pointed out that the fitness factor was against Roger Federer, and yet the Swiss legend managed to give a strong challenge to his opponent.

"I was honored to do the commentary on that match for the five hours and going into it, I always felt that Novak was the defending champion, a couple of years younger. It was a hot day. Roger already had a tough draw with a long match against Rafa. So I felt Novak was the favorite," Becker said.

"But Roger played him out of the park and he was the better player. He lost that match, (but) these guys exchanged shots that I didn't think was possible over such a long period. So I would call last year's final the best ever," Novak Djokovic's ex-coach concluded.

Seeing Roger Federer lose was heartbreaking: Stefan Edberg

Roger Federer won more points than Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon 2019 final

Despite being tired, Roger Federer gave Novak Djokovic a run for his money and almost won the title. Federer lost the first set 6-7, but he thumped Djokovic 6-1 in the second. The Serbian star picked up the third set in another tiebreak, before Federer leveled the score with a 6-4 win in the penultimate set.

The Swiss legend had two opportunities to win the title in the decider, serving at 8-7, 40-15. But Roger Federer squandered both match points, and ultimately Novak Djokovic won the final set 13-12 (3) to retain his crown.

Stefan Edberg believes the current World No. 1 deserves full credit for his epic performance, but he also admitted that watching Roger Federer lose broke his heart.

"It was an incredible match to watch. It had everything and like Boris said, it's probably the best match I've seen. The quality of the tennis from the first point to the last point, it's just incredible. And I felt for Roger, I think he might have been the better player in that match," Edberg said.

"He had it all set up; two match points, 40-15. You wouldn't think he would lose from there but he did. So me being a friend with Roger, it was heartbreaking to lose. But you got to give it to Novak as well, who came out of that match as a winner, which is quite incredible. And it was an astonishing match and the best quality by far," he continued.

The legacy of a legend.Watch @rogerfederer's grass-court journey on our YouTube channel 👇

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 9, 2020

Edberg mentioned that he was quite young when Bjorg Borg and John McEnroe battled in the 1980 Wimbledon final, which is why that classic always had a special place in his heart. However, he concluded that quality-wise the 2019 Wimbledon final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer was the best he had ever watched.