“I already visualised what was going to happen. It was probably the most mentally demanding match I have been part of.” – Novak Djokovic

Just when we thought Federer vs Nadal was a great match, the final between Djokovic and Federer certainly exceeded any expectations of the neutral fan. Two legends of the sport gave it all in the longest final in Wimbledon’s 142-year history.

Roger Federer faced Rafael Nadal twice this season. Once in Roland Garros, which is basically Nadal territory, and once in Wimbledon, which we could say it is Federer best surface. Each player won on their best surface. The most recent one, Wimbledon semi-finals, provided great entertainment: high-quality tennis, long rallies, and two of the best players in Tennis history fighting as if they were in their twenties. (Their ages are 33 and 37)

From the beginning of the final, it was noticeable that the crowd was more supportive of Federer. The Swiss player has a record 8 titles at Wimbledon. Furthermore, since Djokovic came up the ranks later than both Federer and Nadal, the neutral crowd doesn’t have the same affect for him comparing to the other two.

The first set started and both players came out of the blocks strongly. Each of them stepped up and won the game when they served. Consequently, a tie-break would have to be played to finish the set. Djokovic had the edge in a close tie-break (7-5).

Federer came back stronger in the second set, beating the Serbian player by 6-1 within 25 minutes. So far, 1-1 in sets. The third set was very similar to the first one. No quarters were given. No serves were broken. They reached tie-break and Djokovic had the upper-hand once again. Thus, Federer was under pressure, as he had to win the fourth set to keep his chances alive.

The 37-year-old Swiss player shrugged the weight off his shoulders with his classy, swift and effective style of play. 6-4 for Federer in the fourth set. This final had been going for almost 3 hours and expectations were quite high for the final and decisive set.

The fifth set starts. Both Federer and Djokovic were on top of their game. During the first 5 games, no serves were broken – we have seen this story before. However, in the 6th game, Djokovic breaks Federer’s serve. 4-2 for the Serbian player. Once again, the pressure was on Roger.

Federer quickly balanced the match breaking Djokovic’s serve straight away. The match continued tight as ever, without break points until it was 7-7. Djokovic was serving and it came to 30-40. Federer opportunistically took advantage of that sole break point. 7-8, the Swiss player led and he was serving for the Championship. At this point, the crowd would show disappointment if Federer made an unforced error, although when the opposite happened they would celebrate.

Roger started the following game well, leading 40-15 which meant two chances for taking the Wimbledon title. You could see the crowd lifting their index fingers asking Federer for one more point. The crowd had never been so vibrant until then. An unforced error from the Swiss player makes it 40-30. The public goes: “oh!”. Still, there is another match point. This time, Federer started with a strong first serve, attacked, went to the net, only to watch an amazing crossed passing shot from Djokovic. Then he managed to break his opponent’s serve. What a relief for the Serbian player.

Fast forward to 11-11. Djokovic was serving and leading 40-0. Federer came back to 40-40. After a long rally, Federer hits a long shot, which was reviewed by the hawk-eye and called in. Djokovic went to the umpire talking to him while the crowd booed and whistled. Advantage Federer. However, Novak was fuelled by the negative energy from the crowd and made it 12-11. Federer served for a clean game and made it 12-12. Up for the final tie-break.

Djokovic started off well, making a mini-break on Federer’s second serve. Novak kept his advantage. Still, he slept and fell in one point. It came to 6-3. Federer was serving and Djokovic had a championship point. After a bad call from the umpire, the Serbian player challenged it and the point was replayed. Roger served, Djokovic returned and then the Swiss player hit the ball to the skies. Not such a good ending, but it was a terrific match. One to never forget.

Djokovic didn’t celebrate effusively at first, he only smirked. This was possibly due to the way the last point ended and also the crowd behaviour during the final. Either way, he then shook hands with Federer and went to taste some Wimbledon grass.

Roger Federer at 37 years old did an amazing campaign in Wimbledon. To beat Nadal in the semi-finals and then to take Djokovic to the last breath of the last set in the final is a truly remarkable feat. He proved his physical condition is not to be questioned yet.

It is definitely fascinating to live in the era of the “Big 3”. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are not letting the next generation come out. They won 85% of all Grand Slams since 2006. Furthermore, they are the top 3 players with most Grand Slam titles in tennis history.

Novak became the first Wimbledon Champion to have defended championship points since 1948. This was his 16th Grand Slam. He is now two behind Nadal and four behind Federer.

“When the crowd is chanting ‘Roger’ I hear ‘Novak’. It sounds silly, but it is like that. I try to convince myself that it’s like that.” – Novak Djokovic

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