Wimbledon Final: Djokovic weighs Federer down to win title
Novak Djokovic is Wimbledon champion for a second year running. The dream wasn’t to be for Roger Federer. After a fortnight of nearly spotless tennis, the Swiss maestro succumbed to some belligerent tennis from Djokovic, a man five years younger to him. The Serbian constrained Federer’s flowing style, making full use of his athletic prowess, overpowering his way to a 7-6(1), 6-7(10-12), 6-4, 6-3 in just under three hours.
Momentum swing in the first set
The duo in the final could not have been more evenly matched, if they walked out of a movie script – into their 40th encounter against each other, the numbers were split down the middle. 20-19 overall, six each in Grand Slam tournaments and they even split the two matches they played on grass – so it was hard to separate these two men on paper.
Of course, Djokovic had the luxury of youth on his side. But Federer was playing with a spark in his game, not seen since his heyday when he was at the height of his maddening wizardry. In the end though Djokovic’s five year advantage and a brutally powerful game proved too much to handle for the Swiss.
In his tenth final at the hallowed grass of Wimbledon, Federer started with a fluid first game, winning it with an ace and a forceful forehand that drew an error from Djokovic. Not to be left out, Djokovic displayed his wares, bringing his backhand to bear to reign in Federer.
The match stayed on serve through the fifth, but Djokovic slipped into an erratic puddle in the sixth. A couple of ill timed backhand errors compromised Djokovic and Federer was quick to pounce, earning the first break of the finals.
Serving to go up 5-2, Federer played with just a hint of tentativeness. It was more than Djokovic needed to strike back immediately. The Serbian forced a break point and Federer responded with a flailed backhand to put the set back on serve. Soon Djokovic restored it to parity at 4-4.
Federer was uncharacteristically listless in the breaker that followed the initial skirmishes. Djokovic earned a mini-break on the first point and when he struck a ferocious forehand winner to win a 22 shot fifth point, he quelled any hope of an equitable response from the Swiss. Under pressure, Federer threw in a double fault to surrender the first set.
Djokovic squandered multiple set points in the second set
Given the Serbian’s irrepressible physical qualities, Federer knew that the second set was vital to his continued relevance to the final. The world No.2 was offered an opening in the fifth game, but Djokovic was making his racket spit fire every time he needed it.
Increasingly, Djokovic was getting stronger and the Swiss was having a hard time keeping up with his younger opponent. Eventually, it took all of Federer’s experience and guile to save a set point in the eleventh game with a feathery volley winner.
The match was pushed into a second breaker, when Federer held serve in the twelfth game, playing purposefully from the net. This time, Federer took the first point, but lost three in a row to surrender any hint of an advantage. A sensational backhand cross court pass allowed Federer back to 2-3.
But Djokovic won three of the next four points to gain a commanding 6-3 lead. Federer played with enormous resilience to draw even at 6-6.
Djokovic sailed maginally long on his own serve at 10-9 before netting a simple forehand to offer Federer only his second set point. Federer took a moment to collect his thoughts and despite missing the first serve managed to find a sharp volley winner to take the breaker 12-10.
Federer was made to work for each point
Federer had a shaky beginning to the third set, down 15-40 in the first game. But he played spectacularly well from there to not only hold serve but push Djokovic down to 30-40 in the next game. There was to be no damage though as they settled to 1-1.
Things were getting increasingly intense and Federer succumbed first, when he was broken in the third game. Moments later Andrew Jarrett ordered his boys to draw the covers, to protect from rain. When the players returned on court, Djokovic held on to his advantage and wrapped up the third set with an easy hold in the tenth game.
This marked the seventh grand slam final of Federer’s career when he was down 1-2. The bad news for him was that he never won any of those previous six finals, losing either in four or five each time.
Djokovic earned a vital break in the fifth game of the fourth set, when Federer sank two consecutive backhands into the net at 30-30. Federer survived break points again in the seventh game, as he continued to battle by the skin of his teeth.
Djokovic survived an edgy eighth game on his own serve for a 5-3 lead. At 0-30 in the ninth, even Federer could smell his opponent’s triumphant march. A blistering Djokovic winner clipped the baseline to give him matchpoint and an inside out forehand forehand winner off a short ball gave him a third Wimbledon trophy.
“I had a few chances in the first set, was up a break. I got lucky in the second, but also had some opportunity in the third,” reminded Federer, asserting his desire to continue competing with men much younger than him. "Novak was tougher on the bigger points and at the end he was rock solid. That's how it goes," surmised Federer.
“I knew coming into the match, that Roger was going to play his best when it mattered,” said Djokovic, when asked of the second set tie-breaker. He was also asked about the grass. “It tasted sweet this year, just a little tradition,” concluded Djokovic, who now has nine grand slam titles. Federer remains on the perch at 17.