Awkward! The moment Wimbledon runner-up Federer blanked winner Djokovic as he walked past him in locker room corridor just minutes after losing final

  • Federer bumped into Djokovic and wife Jelena after trophy ceremony
  • But he did not speak to the couple and walked past with eyes averted
  • Djokovic had just defeated Federer for the second year in a row
  • Swiss star later insisted he was not 'crestfallen' and paid tribute to rival 

 Roger Federer was quick to pay tribute to his rival Novak Djokovic after losing the Wimbledon final yesterday - but it soon became apparent he was more disgruntled than he'd let on.

The tournament runner-up completely blanked the champion and his wife when he walked past them in the dressing room hallway half an hour after the match ended, it has emerged.

Video footage shows how Federer failed to acknowledge Djokovic or his wife Jelena, who were embracing in the aftermath of the Serbian star's third Wimbledon victory.

Awkward: Roger Federer walks past Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena in a Wimbledon corridor

Awkward: Roger Federer walks past Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena in a Wimbledon corridor

Brush-off: The runner-up paid no attention to the champion and simply ignored him and his wife

Brush-off: The runner-up paid no attention to the champion and simply ignored him and his wife

Instead, the vanquished player simply strided past the couple, averting his eyes and not speaking to any of the bystanders who were crowding the narrow corridor.

At the time of the awkward brush-off, the BBC commentator said: 'No exchange there.'

Tennis writer Hannah Wilks commented on Twitter: 'Oh my, awkward. Federer, head down, walks past Novak and Jelena embracing in the hallway.'

The moment was caught on camera minutes after the trophy presentation ceremony, where Djokovic was given the famous cup while seven-time champion Federer took the runner-up's plate.

Rivals: Federer paid tribute to Djokovic when the pair were standing together on Centre Court minutes earlier

Rivals: Federer paid tribute to Djokovic when the pair were standing together on Centre Court minutes earlier

In front of a packed Centre Court, Federer paid fulsome tribute to the winner, saying: 'He's played great the whole two weeks, plus the whole year, plus last year, plus the year before that, so he deserved it.'

And Djokovic returned the compliments, telling BBC host Sue Barker: 'It's always a great privilege playing against Roger, he's a great champion and one of the biggest challenges I can ever have.

'He's done so much for our sport on and off the court and he's definitely someone a lot of players from my generation looked up to and followed his lead, so it's a great honour to play against him.'

The two men have played each other 40 times, with each winning 20 of the encounters, making theirs one of the most epic rivalries in modern tennis.

Entourage: The awkward encounter came as Djokovic embraced his wife, pictured with coach Boris Becker

Entourage: The awkward encounter came as Djokovic embraced his wife, pictured with coach Boris Becker

Champion: Djokovic celebrates at the end of his four-set victory over the world number two

Champion: Djokovic celebrates at the end of his four-set victory over the world number two

While Djokovic has now beaten Federer in two consecutive Wimbledon finals, the 33-year-old Swiss star is still far ahead in career titles, with 17 major tournament wins compared to Djokovic's nine.

Speaking after yesterday's match, Federer insisted that he was not overly upset despite the close encounter in the corridor.

'You could see in the ceremony afterwards, I was not crestfallen,' he told the New York Times. 'I just needed time in order to recover, to shower and relax a bit and then feel like a fresh person again.'

Federer's four-set defeat seemed as devastating to the Wimbledon crowd as it was to him - with the vast majority of spectators apparently backing the veteran world number two.

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