Roger Federer is one match away from winning his eighth Wimbledon title. The world no.4 beat Milos Raonic in straight sets in a semi-final match in which he faced just one break point, never dropped serve and broke the serve of the best server in the game three times. In the final he will face the game’s best returner Novak Djokovic who was pushed all the way in his four set win over Grigor Dimitrov.
Federer and Djokivic have not faced each other in a slam final since the 2007 US Open when Djokivic broke through to a slam final for the first time. Now they face again as Federer, aged 33, nears the end of his career and Djokovic is right at the heart of his.
They also meet at a time when majors have been quite hard for both men to come by. Federer has not won one since winning the Wimbledon title in 2012 while Djokovic has gone slamless since the Australian Open 2013. Somewhat worse for Djokovic, he has gone 1-5 in his last slam finals.
The match will rest not only on whether Djokovic’s return can get the better of Federer’s serve, or whether the Swiss’ variety and grass court skills can trump Djokovic’s athleticism and consistency, but also on which man can handle the nerves of that elusive slam title being so close within their grip.
The edge has to go to Federer. He has the history of seven wins behind him, the confidence he has the better grass court game and no weaknesses Djokovic can prey on. Meanwhile, Djokovic has one major downfall Federer can exploit- his movement. On grass, Djokovic often loses his grip and slips, something the sure-footed Federer never does. And on grass movement is key. Expect that to be the key that will open the door for slam eight at SW19 for the Swiss.
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