Wimbledon: Federer loses five-set thriller to Djokovic

The final match between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer delivered in every way: another thrilling, nearly five-hour bout that came down to a dramatic tie break that gave Djokovic his 16th grand slam.

Nerves and fatigue forced Roger Federer to give away critical chances, with Novak Djokovic displaying stronger mental fortitude to clinch his 16th grand slam and his fifth Wimbledon title.

Federer played better than Djokovic. He broke him more, won more games. He also got to the almost-two game margin in the final set. Then nerves set in and he gave it all away. For the second time, Federer will be haunted by a dramatic, five set match that went the full distance in epic, breathtaking fashion.

If the 2008 Federer-Nadal match is considered the best match of all time, this Federer-Djokovic meeting was right there up there with it, becoming the new longest Wimbledon gentleman’s final. It was also the first time that the new 12-all tie break rule came into effect, which Djokovic took full advantage of.

“Well, I think this was if not the most exciting and thrilling final I was ever part, then definitely top two or three against one of the greatest players of all time, Roger, who I respect a lot,” said Djokovic in the trophy presentation. “Unfortunately in these kind of matches one of the players have to lose. We both had our chances and it’s quite unreal to be two match points down and come back. It’s a bit strange to play a tie-break on 12-all as well.”

It came down to a test of wills. The margins were razor thin at so many crucial moments.

The first set came down to a tight tie break. Federer surged to a 5-3 lead in the break, but Djokovic was able to power through to clinch the first set anyway.

Federer answered by breaking at the outset of the second set. Both players were clearly tested by their hard-fought semis, with the No. 1 seed looking the more out-of-sorts in the sophomore set. The Swiss barely looked back as he raced to a 6-1 score that left the Serbian in the dust, firing off a litany of uncharacteristic unforced errors. Federer sapped Djokovic’s energy as he evened things up on the scoreboard.

The 37-year-old rode the momentum by hitting four huge points in a row to get to 2-1 in the third. Djokovic was still serving poorly at the beginning of the third, but managed to outlast Federer in the rallies. Federer continued to maintain a high-level, accurate serve, rocking a crisp ace at 4-3.

The Serbian’s serve picked up towards the end of the set and started appearing extremely alert. Testament to his strong will, when he was down 0-30, Djokovic managed to steel his nerves among a very pro-Federer crowd to prevent the break threat from the 37-year-old.

The third set wen to another tie break. This time, many mistakes cost Federer, putting the match back in Djokovic’s corner. Feeling the nerves, Federer was down two sets to one. Djokovic was ahead due to just tie breaks, without having broken the eight-time champion’s serve so far.

The match was expected to be a tightly-fought contest and there wasn’t a dull moment. The dynamic kept shifting as each set went on, and the Swiss player took it right back in the fourth, converting a crucial break point chance at 2-3. Djokovic’s serve failed him again, committing a double fault that put the momentum back in Federer’s court. The Serbian battled to get his own break later in the set, but Federer had already built in a margin of breaks and was able to close it out at 6-4.

Both players played at a high-octane level, taking incredible risks with each rally, every point. Federer hit a beautiful smash volley to level up the sets at two apiece.

The Basel native began the fifth set serving at a high level, with Djokovic barely holding onto his serve game. Federer fought through to the important break in the fifth, but the Serbian matched his level and fearlessly fought off two championship points from the Swiss, getting the score to the new tie-break rule that kicked in at 12-12. The 32-year-old repeated his sterling tie break performance a third time and a mistake on Federer’s part gave Djokovic his fifth Wimbledon title.

“I hope I give some other people to believe at 37 it’s not over yet. I feel great. Obviously, it’s come to take some time to recover physically too. It’s all good. I couldn’t give more. I gave it all I had, and I still stand,” said Federer afterwards.

But it was too much to expect the 20-time slam champion to beat both Rafael Nadal and Djokovic in back-to-back matches.

It was an exhausting match, with new rules and a new men’s final record. Djokovic now stands just two slams behind Nadal, and four behind Federer. For the 19th time in the Open Era, the gentleman’s champion was able to defend his title.

The captivating final produced an awesome men’s event that again lived up to the hype. It also cements the very comfortable position that the Big 3 sit in, at the zenith of the sport, dictating the very high quality.

Well, that was a very dramatic end to a wonderful fortnight. Now we turn our sites to hard court season. Stay tuned here for all your tennis updates.