Novak Djokovic has beaten Roger Federer 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4 to win his second Wimbledon title in a match that will be remembered as one of the greatest finals of all time.
The match was a high quality contest from the get-go as in the first set the two men held serve all the way to the tiebreak. Both men’s strengths were at their best, and, more crucially, so were their weaknesses as Djokovic served better than ever and Federer’s ground-strokes held up to the Djokovic baseline onslaught, especially the much targeted backhand.
Federer just edged the breaker as his grass court skills were in full flow on the big points. At 7-7, a service winner got him to set point and then his formidable and constant presence at the net forced Djokovic into error.
Djokovic though got an early chance to break in the second set as his return game pressured Federer into double-faulting to hand him break point. A signature backhand passing shot up the line sealed the break.
Djokovic then held serve all the way to the business end of the set at 5-4. He served out to even the match at a set all, a smash, a shot he has struggled with at times on the big occasions, sealing him the set.
The third set went with serve as both men kept up their high percentages, winning over 70 percent of points behind that shot. Games flew by and neither man looked like the vulnerable men who had lost so limply in their Roland Garros exits. Another tiebreak ensued and Djokovic’s greater consistency on his ground game prevailed as the Federer forehand errored too often while a huge forehand from Djokovic earned him set point. The top seed mixed it up in a long rally ending in his favor as a Federer backhand slice down the line went wide, its ambition a compliment to the grinding prowess of the Serb.
In the fourth set, Djokovic, his serve, groundstrokes and mind all clicking in the right place, seemed to have gotten his grip on the match as he got Federer on the run and forced an error to break for 3-1. The Serb then held serve all the way to 5-3, and the moment to serve out for his first slam since the 2013 Australian Open had arrived.
But the Swiss was not going away, showed an intensity so often missing since his 2012 Wimbledon win, and broke back with a forehand down the line winner.
Djokovic was not disheartened at seeing his lead slip, however, and worked his way to championship point on Federer’s serve as he forced an error from the Federer backhand. But the Swiss produced his best when in danger, saving it with an ace and went on to win the game and level at 5-5.
Federer was now in the ascent, forcing his will on Djokovic with a weight as heavy as all seven of his Wimbledon trophies. The fourth seed would go on to win the next two games to take the fourth set 7-5 and take the match into a fifth set.
Djokovic, who had lost 5 of his last 6 Major finals, did not vanish inside himself as many might have. He stayed calm, and though his first serve slipped down to below 60 percent, so that did of his opponent. One stat that did remain high was winners, with errors remaining low, to produce a final set of impressive quality considering the pressure on both slam-starved men’s shoulders.
The decider went with serve all the way to 4-5 when Federer served to stay in the match. Djokovic’s return was at his best when he needed it and at 15-30, he struck a huge forehand down the line to force an error and earned himself two more championship points. The best returner in the game then got a look at a second serve and went for broke, going for the Federer backhand and producing the error he wanted on his third deep and heavy strike to take his second Wimbledon title.
An emotional Djokovic fell to the grass, picked some up and ate it. Then he went to the player’s box, entering gentlemanly by the recently installed gate, and hugged his team and the man who had flown triumphantly across the same lawn from which he had just eaten three times, Boris Becker.
Then the moment it had all been about. A teary-eyed Djokovic finally got his hands on a slam trophy, the one he said in his post-match interview meant the most to him. The Serbian star dedicated the trophy to his wife and future child, his first, and now deceased, coach, and his family and team who had sacrificed so much for him to live his dream. A dream he well deserved after competing in a contest that looked like it was set to turn into another nightmare, a contest that was a dream to watch for tennis fans the world over.
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