Roger Federer
came into the men's final hungry for his first title since 2012. Novak
Djokovic came in looking to avenge a stunning loss in last month’s
French Open final.
They were about as
evenly matched as any players could be, Federer holding a slight 20-19
advantage in their head-to-head and each playing phenomenal tennis
throughout the fortnight in London.
Each won 37 points in
the first set. Each won 51 points in the second set – a dead heat,
exactly as expected, as they split tiebreaks in each.
The next two sets
seemed clinical for Djokovic, who did not let Federer break him again as
he claimed the 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 win over the Swiss legend. Federer
may be the best ever, but Djokovic left no doubt that he is the best
right now.
The first set was an
all-out battle, Federer earning a break at 3-2 only to see Djokovic
break right back, then hold to 4-4. At 6-5, Federer could've closed out
the set, but failed to convert two break-point opportunities. Djokovic
took over in the tiebreak, winning 7-1. The final point came on a
Federer double fault. His service game, which had carried him over Andy Murray in the semifinals, was just not as strong on Sunday.
Serving at 4-5 in the second set, Federer again
double-faulted to give Djokovic set point. But Djokovic shanked a
forehand long on the next point, and Federer eventually held – a crucial
hold that kept him in the match. Federer has only beaten Djokovic once
after dropping the first set.
Forcing a second-set tiebreak, Federer clawed his way from
3-6 to 6-6. Djokovic won a point on Federer’s serve to go up 7-6, then
Federer took it back to 7-7 with a slam. He caught Djokovic on his heels
to take the 8-7 lead and the chance to close out the set. Instead it
would go all the way to 10-all. After more than 15 minutes, Federer
finally took on the set on a slam.
Moving on to the third, Federer built a 0-30 lead on
Djokovic’s first service game but failed to keep it going. Djokovic
held. Federer then built a 30-0 lead on serve, but Djokovic again fought
back to earn the break-point opportunity. Federer overshot, giving
Djokovic the 2-1 lead. The match turned clinical from there.
Returning to the court after a brief rain delay at 3-2,
Djokovic eventually took the third set. He’d take another break in the
fourth set for the 2-4 lead.
When Federer’s shot sailed past the baseline to give Djokovic the 5-3
lead, the 28-year-old Serb looked to the stands, flexed his shoulders
back and let out a roar. He has never been the fan favorite. That's one
throne Federer will always occupy. But the end was clearly in sight, and
even this Federer-loving crowd had to acknowledge how well Djokovic was
playing.By the time he built a 15-30 lead on Federer’s serve, Djokovic was all smiles. The match ended two points later, Djokovic converting double match-point to claim his third Wimbledon title. He now has nine Grand Slam titles.
"Novak played not only great today but the whole two weeks, plus the whole year, plus last year, plus the year before that. He deserve it, well done Novak," Federer said with a clipped laugh after the match.
It's a disheartening loss for Federer, who looked to add Grand Slam title No. 18 to his illustrious resume. Instead, he leaves the All England Club as the runner-up for the second year in a row.
Asked about the first set, how different the match could have been, the ever-gracious Federer added, "He was tough on the bigger points and then at the end he was rock solid. So I thought he played great, I didn't play bad myself, so I can be very happy as well, and that's how it goes."
Djokovic, too, can be gracious. Asked about his match, the champion ignored the question in order to give credit to his opponent.
"It's always a great privilege playing against Roger," Djokovic said. "He's done so much for our sport on and off the court and he's definitely somebody that a lot of the players in my generation were looking up to him and following his lead and it's a great honor to play here again.
"He makes you push your limits, he makes you work hard and earn every single point," he added. "For these particular matches, you work all your life... You envision yourself being at the Centre Court in the biggest tournament in sports and holding this trophy, so it's a very thrilling feeling."
Just after match point, Djokovic followed his strangest tradition, eating a few pieces of the Centre Court grass.
"As a kid I was really dreaming of winning Wimbledon," he explained. "So, as with every child, you dream of doing something crazy when you actually achieve it, if you achieve it, so that was one of the things." It tasted good, he said, laughing as he gave credit to the grounds crew.
Djokovic claims his second
Grand Slam of the year heading into the U.S. Open, where he has been a
finalist in four of the past five years.
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