Wimbledon 2019: Novak Djokovic defeats Roger Federer in titanic tussle to claim 16th Grand Slam title
July 14, 2019, will possibly be remembered as a day when sports triumphed with all its might. Just like the ICC Cricket World Cup final between England and New Zealand, the Wimbledon men’s singles final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer turned out to be an absolute nail-biter.
The clash between the two tennis superstars lasted nearly five hours. After five sets of excellent tennis, Federer's attempt to secure a record-extending 21st Grand Slam title was halted by the World No. 1, who saved two match points to seal his fifth Wimbledon title and 16th Major.
With this emphatic victory, Djokovic became the first player since 1948 to win the Wimbledon men's singles final after being down match point. Previously, America's Robert Falkenburg was the only player to have won Wimbledon after being down match point. Falkenburg had saved three match points against Australia's John Bromwich in 1948, eventually triumphing 7-5 in the fifth set.
Coming back to yesterday's encounter, Federer belied his age to produce some sublime tennis and feature in the longest ever men's singles final in Wimbledon history.
Federer remains the only player to have defeated Djokovic at all four Grand Slams, while the Serb too can boast of a similar feat, having defeated the Swiss at all four Majors. That alone sums up how intense the rivalry between these two legends of the sport is.
After the match, Federer compared this loss to the one suffered at the hands of Rafael Nadal in 2008, saying:
"You try to forget, try to take the good things out of this match. Similar to '08 maybe, I will look back at it and think, 'well, it's not that bad after all.' For now it hurts, and it should, like every loss does here at Wimbledon.
"I think it's a mindset. I'm very strong at being able to move on because I don't want to be depressed about actually an amazing tennis match. My children won't be excited with the plate, they would be more excited with that golden thing. But it is all good, back to being a dad and a husband.
Federer will now be looking to put this defeat behind him and focus on the rest of the year. The US Open will present an opportunity for him to win his 21st Grand Slam. However, prior to that, he will play in the Cincinnati Masters, where he was beaten by Djokovic in last year’s final.