Federer had two championship points in the fifth set but failed to capitalise and the world No 1 hit back to win a 16th Grand Slam title.
And after the match, Federer announced he would not be playing at next week’s Rogers Cup in Montreal and would instead return for the Cincinnati Masters.
“We had decided in the team I was going to skip Montreal anyway already a week ago, just give myself enough time,” he told reporters.
“I wish I had more, but I don’t.
“I’m just going to take enough time off what I can and prepare for Cincinnati and get going from then on again.”
Federer has been spending time with his wife Mirka and four young children in the aftermath of the defeat to Djokovic.
But the Swiss has kick-started his preparations for Cincinnati by hitting the court at a tennis club in Nyon, Switzerland.
Decked out in all white, the footage posted on Instagram by the Nyon Tennis Club, shows Federer getting back to work in bright sunshine with coach Ivan Ljubicic watching on.
Federer’s decision not to play in Montreal means his wait for a third Canadian Open title will continue into 2020.
And Rogers Cup tournament director Karl Hale rued Federer’s absence from next week event saying: “It’s a shame we can’t have Roger in this edition.
“But it is a decision that has been taken and that we have to respect [it].”
Hale then added that he was hopeful Federer would continue playing for another five years.
“He loves to play here, and I am convinced he will play again one more time,” Hale said.
“I think Federer can have about five more years left at the highest level.”
Federer is not the only high profile absentee from Montreal with Djokovic also missing out.
It means defending champion Rafael Nadal is the top seed ahead of Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev.
