By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, July 12, 2015
Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, to defend Wimbledon and win his ninth career Grand Slam crown.
Photo credit: Stefan Wemuth/Reuters
A mossy-colored Centre Court resembled a slippery slope and Novak Djokovic was on the verge of falling apart.
The son of a ski instructor was slipping and sliding on court and ranting and raving shirtless on the sideline. Roger Federer saved seven set points stealing the second set to level this Wimbledon final and most of the 15,000 fans cramming Centre Court screamed their support of the Swiss charge.
Djokovic faced all that frenzy with the clarity of a man running down hill.
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Erupting in anger after blowing six set points in the tie break, a defiant Djokovic executed with authority for the rest of the match. Djokovic quieted Federer's uprising—and the pro-Federer crowd—answering every challenge they threw at him to claim his third Wimbledon title with a 7-6 (1), 6-7 (10), 6-4, 6-3 triumph.
"It's a very thrilling feeling," Djokovic told ESPN's Tom Rinaldi after earning his 200th career major match win. "I was coming into the tournament trying to fight for this trophy. To be standing here holding it is a dream come true again. Even though I won it for a third time, every time feels like the first."
In a rematch of the 2014 final, Djokovic saved six of seven break points finding the Federer backhand with his crackling topspin drives and displaying his mental strength on pivotal points to score his 35th win in his last 36 matches.
It is Djokovic's ninth Grand Slam championship. The world No. 1 is the first man to successfully defend Wimbledon since his opponent did it in 2007. Bouncing back from a gut-wrenching Roland Garros final defeat to another Swiss major champion, Djokovic raised his record in major finals to 9-8 and evened his head-to-head with Federer, 20-20.
"Novak played great today, plus the whole two weeks, plus last year, plus the year before that," Federer said, prompting laughter from fans. "Of course, I had my chances in the first set being up a break. Second set, you know, I got lucky to win that. I had some chances early in the third, but that's how it goes. He was tougher on the bigger points and at the end he was rock solid."
Beneath a slate sky, Federer won the toss, elected to serve and imposed two love holds in his first three service games for 3-2. The elastic Djokovic appeared to roll his ankle lunging for a shot. Unsettled, he strained bending for a couple of low volleys in the next game. Federer streaked through eight straight points breaking at love for 4-2.
The Serbian's backhand down the line was a key stroke in his five-set win over Federer in the 2014 final. Djokovic's dagger down the line slashed a couple of stretched errors from the Swiss as he broke back at 30 for 3-4.
Varying spins and skewering patterns—he serve-and-volleyed off a second serve blasted an 89 mph forehand at one point and closed the 11th game with a disguised forehand drop shot—Federer played low trying to keep his quick foe off balance. Applying those tactics, the second seed earned two set points but the game's best returner showed his strength on serve. Djokovic denied both with successive 122 mph bolts out wide, shaking his racquet at forcing the tie break.
Opening with an astounding get that saw him slide nearly beneath the umpire's chair while bending a backhand around the net post, Djokovic snared the mini-break. The top seed played first-rate tennis in the breaker, ending one of the best exchanges of the day thumping a forehand winner down the line for 4-1. A rattled Federer double-faulted—his first double of the day—ending a stirring 45-minute opener with a whimper.
The Serbian's willingness to attack his second serve, blazing court coverage that shrunk the court to the size of a London backyard and clean ball striking were key to the first set. He withstood a pair of break points with superb ball striking in the second set. Scattering a double-fault wide, Federer faced set point in the 10th game, but dodged the crisis on a Djokovic errant forehand.
The tie break that followed featured some tremendous shot-making from both men. A Djokovic missed forehand ended a 27-shot rally wasting a third set point. Federer, who won 42 of 58 net approaches, unleashed the serve and volley, blocking a backhand volley winner to end a tense 15-minute tie break and snatch a set that looked lost.
The trauma of squandering seven set points in all, including six in the breaker, sent a raging Djokovic into a self-shredding moment. Banging his racquet in fury off the bottom of his sneakers as he walked off court, Djokovic conducted the changeover as primal scream therapy, tearing off his shirt, gnashing his teeth and barking at his box bare-chested while the veins in his neck bulged visibly.
"It was very very frustrating. I knew this is the kind of thing I cannot allow myself," Djokovic said. "I cannot allow myself to lose six set points for two sets to love up lead in a Wimbledon final against Roger because he's gonna come back at me as he did in the beginning of the third. I managed to bounce back, keep on going, serve well when I needed to."
Indeed, self-exorcism was a success. Djokovic raged, then reset.
From 40-15 down, he rallied, gaining break point with a fine forehand drop volley. When Federer sailed a forehand sitter, the top seed broke for a 2-1 third-set lead. A cluster of grey clouds swelled overhead and the green-clad grounds crew swarmed behind the back wall. Djokovic bounced a return off the chair umpire's seat as rain streamed down prompting a delay at 4:21 p.m. local time. At that point, Djokovic had won precisely one more point, 105 to 104.
Resuming after a 20-minute rain delay, neither was tested on serve. Djokovic thumped an overhead sealing the third set. Stepping into the court and striking with more conviction, Djokovic rattled out successive backhand errors, breaking for a 3-2 fourth-set advantage. Down 0-30 in the eighth game, Djokovic was annoyed into action by a fan who yelled out during a point. After holding for 5-3, he screamed in defiance directly at the fan.
On this day, Djokovic had the final word.
Painting an inside-out forehand into the corner, Djokovic watched the yellow ball dab the green canvas, thrust his arms aloft and pointed toward the sky. Djokovic joins Federer, Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and his coach, Boris Becker, as the sixth man in the Open Era to win three or more Wimbledon championships.
Rising to meet the moment, Djokovic kneeled down, plucked a piece of the Centre Court lawn and chewed on it in celebration.
The gluten-free champion who grew up chowing down on pizza at his family's restaurant showed a fierce appetite for the fight dining on his dreams again.
"It tasted very, very good this year," Djokovic said, capping an entertaining final with a satisfied smile.