Roger Federer has vowed to make Wimbledon return next year after been beaten in the Big W final by top-seed Novak Djokovic of Serbian on Sunday.
The 32-year-old was bidding to become the oldest player to win the title at the All England Club, but his wait to add eighth Wimbledon title was extended after the top-seeded Serbian prevailed over the Swiss maestro in a thriller.
There have been speculations about the retirement of the former champion as he is on the dusk of his career. But the 17-time major winner during his on-court interview made clear that this was not his final appearance at the SW19.
"I felt the love out here, so thanks a lot," Federer said, "See you next year."
The Swiss maestro won his last major title way back in 2012, when he defeated British Andy Murray in the final. Federer, who has won just one Grand Slam in his last 18 appearances, was pleased with his performance and said there are "great things" to come in the future.
"I'm very happy to see that by feeling normal I can produce a performance like I did the last two weeks," he insisted. "That clearly makes me believe that this was just a stepping stone to many more great things in the future."
The 2014 Wimbledon proved to be a breakthrough event for young players, such as Canadian Milos Raonic and Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov as they reached the semifinals of the tournament.
However, the Swiss legend insisted that the Big 4, including him, Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Murray are under no threat from the next generation.
"I don't feel a huge threat from them. There are many good players from 5 or 6 to 20. But they're also somewhat exchangeable from 30 or 40," Federer said, "There are a lot of dangerous players around there. But I feel like if I'm playing well I can control the field to a degree."
"Clearly there's never a guarantee," he added. "But I do believe the top guys are the ones we know and who are still going to be deciding outcomes of the bigger tournaments, like the Masters 1000s and the Grand Slams."
Federer pointed out that they managed to stamp their mark much early in their careers, while players like Dimitrov and Raonic have made their maiden appearances in the semifinals just now.
"We all made the breakthrough much earlier than most of the guys," Federer said. "Rafa was incredible as a teenager. I was better at 21. That's when I started to make my rise. The other guys we're talking about are all 22, 23 and have been already on tour for five years."
