Novak Djokovic Wins Wimbledon Title, Beating Roger Federer

For the second straight year, Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final, this time by a score of 7-6 (1), 6-7 (10), 6-4, 6-3 to win his third title at Wimbledon.

Djokovic has had little problem playing the role of the villain, as long as it has meant winning a Wimbledon championship. He did so a year ago when most of Centre Court was backing Federer, emerging victorious in a five-set thriller.

This year, there seemed to be even more sentiment in favor of Federer and his quest to take sole possession of the lead in career Wimbledon men’s singles titles. But Djokovic rarely succumbs to sentiment.

“It’s not the first time that I’ll experience this particular feeling,” Djokovic said before the match. “I’m going to try to use the experience from the first in order to get myself in a right state of mind.”

Novak Djokovic took control of the final after the rain delay.
ADRIAN DENNIS / AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES
His state of mind was exactly right on Sunday as he won his ninth Grand Slam trophy. In addition to his three Wimbledon titles, Djokovic has won five Australian Opens and a United States Open.

The highlight of the match was the tense second-set tiebreak, in which Federer saved six set points, two on Djokovic’s serve, and which he finally won on a second serve. He came in behind it and used one volley to push Djokovic to his left and then put away a backhand volley.

As the audience erupted, Federer turned to his box and gave a mild fist pump. The fans were almost unanimously on Federer’s side, especially with him trailing for most of the close match. At one point, a fan yelled out, “Come on, old man,” in support of the 33-year-old Federer.

After a brief rain delay, Djokovic finished off the third set and then broke Federer at 2-2 in the fourth, leaving the stadium in near silence.

Federer was not as sharp as he was in his semifinal against Andy Murray, and at times when he went for lines, he missed. His serve was also not as crisp.

Despite the fans overwhelming support for Federer, Djokovic was able to make key shots at the most critical moments. He was angry at fans for making noise between his two serves, and when he served an ace to go up, 5-3, in the fourth set, he turned to them and yelled.

He finally won it on a forehand and turned and yelled to all sides of the stadium, almost in the style of a professional wrestler. The fans, even those who had cheered for Federer, clapped respectfully. Djokovic then bent down and nibbled on morsels of grass in his signature celebratory gesture.

For Federer, the loss was particularly agonizing because, at his age, it is unclear how many other opportunities he will have. A little over a year ago, when he was ranked No. 8 and the Grand Slam titles seemed to be in the past, some wondered why he continued to play.

But his performance at this Wimbledon, when he resembled the same player who won 17 Grand Slam titles, seemed to perfectly explain why. If he continues to play at this level, there are more trophies to win.

Sunday was the third time Djokovic, who was seeded first, and the second-seeded Federer had faced each other in the final of a major tournament. Djokovic won here last year, and Federer beat Djokovic at the 2007 United States Open.

Djokovic, 28, has won eight of his nine Grand Slam titles since the start of 2011, and he has appeared in finals six other times, putting him in 14 of the 19 major finals in that span.

But nothing compares with beating Federer at Wimbledon, he had said.

When Djokovic won here last year, he stood during the trophy presentation and at one point covered his face and appeared to be talking to himself.  On Friday, Djokovic explained that beating Federer had even more meaning for him than when he won his first Wimbledon final, in 2011 against Rafael Nadal.

“I won against the greatest player of all time on grass courts,” Djokovic said after he beat Richard Gasquet in a semifinal match on Friday, “and maybe greatest player of all time over all, Roger, in five sets.”

With Federer, Murray and Nadal on the other side of the men’s singles bracket and drawing most of the attention, Djokovic was able to slide through without too much attention.

His most difficult match was a two-day, five-set encounter with Kevin Anderson in the round of 16. Then he had to overcome a stiff shoulder in his semifinal against Gasquet. Djokovic said he woke up with the problem that day and vowed it would not hinder him Sunday.

As with his declaration about dealing with the support for his opponent, he was right. And for the second straight year, Djokovic was the last man to celebrate.

Credit: New York Times