On Sunday, Roger Federer had the chance to become the first man to win eight Wimbledon singles titles. He has to wait another year, however, as #1 seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia defeated Federer in the finals for the second year in a row, 7-6(1), 6-7(10), 6-4, 6-3.
This year Djokovic won in four sets, chasing down Federer’s shots from corner to corner and from the baseline to the net. His quickness, his balance and his shotmaking when he was on the run gave him the clear edge in this match.
That’s what Djokovic does. He rarely makes a mistake. In the entertaining first set, Djokovic dominated the tiebreaker, winning 7-1. The second set featured an epic tiebreaker in which Federer won 12-10. After fighting off a total of six set points in the second, it seemed like that momentum would carry over for Federer. But Djokovic emerged victoriously in the final two sets without much trouble, elevating his game to a whole new level. Play was suspended about 25 minutes for rain during the third set. When play resumed, Djokovic came out fresh and ready to go, and Federer faded a little bit.
While Federer hit more winners (58) than Djokovic (46), the Serb finished with just 16 unforced errors, compared to 35 for the Swiss player. Djokovic was able to break Federer four times and saved six of the seven break points he faced.
This victory for the relentless Djokovic marks his third Wimbledon championship and his ninth major singles title. The fan-favorite Federer has 17 major titles, but hasn’t won a major since his last Wimbledon crown in 2012. This year may have been his best chance to set the record for the most Wimbledon titles. At 33, Federer is well past his prime. He has a history of dominating on the grass court surface. At one point he won Wimbledon each year from 2003-2007. Not even the great Pete Sampras had a streak comparable to that.
Despite his increasing age, Federer played outstanding in the early rounds of the tournament. His best performance came in the semis against Andy Murray, where he served as well as ever. Today, the serve wasn’t as dominant, and that was mainly due to the strong returning by Novak Djokovic. Whether it was down the line the backhand or a reaching crosscourt winner with the forehand, Djokovic constantly put Federer on his heels. The depth of Djokovic’s shots on the court and his ability to play defense is truly remarkable. His strength is that he doesn’t have a weakness, as he showed tremendous resolve after being frustrating by losing the second set when he had so many opportunities.
As always, Federer was gracious in defeat. In a post-match interview in front of the crowd, he said, “That’s how it goes. I’m still hungry and motivated to keep playing.”
Yes, Federer has a few solid years left of his career, but so does Djokovic, who’s only 28. The chances for Federer to get one more major win is getting slimmer and slimmer.
But Djokovic still has a long way to go before he reaches Federer in major singles titles.
Let’s see if Novak can notch Federer’s impressive streak of winning five Wimbledon crowns in a row.
