The lack of love Djokovic receives from crowds is, in many respects, perplexing. He does so many things on a tennis court as well as, if not better than, any player in the history of the men’s game. He’s been referred to as one of the best returners ever. He’s a brilliant ball striker with a lethal down-the-line backhand and a crosscourt forehand that he consistently sends across the net with pace and at extremely acute angles. Throughout his career, he’s worked hard to increase his stamina, mastering a grueling fitness regimen. He’s the rare player without an identifiable weakness.

Djokovic’s performance today suggests that the Serb’s foremost quality is the mental toughness he exhibits in big moments. At 8–7 in the fifth set, Federer held championship points on his serve. Djokovic erased both of them and broke Federer to pull even. The eventual champion never lost his nerve on a day when the Swiss served exceptionally well and handled Djokovic’s deep returns with aplomb. Djokovic saved his best for when it mattered most, winning the three tiebreaks the two men played. He showed great equanimity in the pressure-packed moments, while Federer’s level dipped when things got tight.

The match was a classic in the sense that it went the distance and was the first final in Wimbledon history to feature a fifth-set tiebreaker. But it was far from the best contest these two men have treated fans to over the years. When the members of the Big Three meet at major tournaments, the resulting matches are often drama-saturated, shot-making extravaganzas—the sporting equivalent of a pair of virtuosic saxophonists trying to out-solo each other inside a packed club for hours at a time. This final reached that fever pitch only on occasion; there were long stretches when the men behaved like two hyper-competent IRS agents seeing who could audit more tax returns on an ordinary business day. Neither athlete showed much emotion; neither played spectacular tennis for long stretches. But the match will be remembered for the way Djokovic overcame Federer on a day when a win by the 37-year old Swiss would’ve been interpreted as the perfect storybook ending to the tournament—and as a signature accomplishment for one of the world’s most popular athletes.

Djokovic’s triumph adds credibility to the argument that he is the greatest tennis player of all time. While he still trails Federer and Nadal in terms of the most Grand Slam singles titles won, he has beaten Federer in all three finals the two men have played at Wimbledon, which is Federer’s best tournament. Djokovic is also one of two men to have beaten Nadal at the French Open, the major that the Spaniard has won a record 12 times. Djokovic’s ability to defeat his top rivals on their favorite surfaces speaks to the prodigious talent he possesses, and should be a factor when future pundits try to determine who from this marvelous generation of men’s tennis players should come out on top.