Novak Djokovic ended his three-match losing streak in grand slam finals and made an epic return to the No1 ranking by overcoming a stubborn Roger Federer 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4 to claim a second Wimbledon title.
Federer had come back from 2-5 down in the fourth set and saved a championship point to force a fifth but ended up surrendering to the tireless Djokovic, who emotionally dedicated the title to his late coach Jelena Gencic – who passed away last year during the French Open – as well as his pregnant fiancée, Jelena Ristic.
“After losing the fourth it wasn’t easy to regroup. I don’t know how I managed to do it. This is the tournament I always dreamed of winning. This is the first tennis match that I ever seen I my life when I was five years old, was Wimbledon and the image stuck to my mind,” said Djokovic, who was almost in tears.
Djokovic was more comfortable on serve from the start, and he dropped just four points in his first five service games while Federer was hanging on by tooth and nail, suffering from how early the top seed was taking the ball.
The Swiss was pushed to deuce numerous times but didn’t face a break point and he managed to hold while serving to stay in the set, despite an aggressive assault from Djokovic.
The world No2 showed his first signs of sloppiness in the 11th game, but still managed to inch ahead 6-5 and Federer soon caught up to force a tiebreak, which was a fitting finale to a tight opening set.
A long volley from Djokovic gave Federer an early mini-break and he consolidated to go up 3-0. But Djokovic got the mini-break back when a backhand slice sailed wide from the 32-year-old and they were soon level at 4-4.
A great return from Djokovic forced an error from Federer and it gave the Serb his first set point. But Federer saved it with an inconceivable forehand that clipped the line to make it 6-6.
Federer then netted a backhand to hand over a second set point but came up with a clutch ace for 7-7. Another service winner and it was Federer who now had a set point and he grabbed the opportunity immediately when Djokovic netted a backhand.
In the opening game of the second set, a poor net approach from Federer gave Djokovic the first break point of the match but a big serve got the Swiss briefly out of trouble. He was passed at the net to face a second break point but Djokovic committed an error on his forehand, which clipped the net on its way out.
The 27-year-old took his first tumble of the match as Federer went on to hold for 1-0. But he double-faulted two games later to give Djokovic a break point and the Serb broke with a signature backhand passing shot – the first break of the match and just Federer’s second of the entire tournament.
The trainer then checked Djokovic’s left leg, which might have got hurt after his fall but it did not seem to be hampering the No1 seed who raced to 40-0.
But he got pegged back and it took him several deuces before he held for 3-1. Federer had an opening while Djokovic was serving for the second set, getting his first break point of the match on a loose inside out forehand.
But Djokovic saved it then aced to get a set point and leveled the match with an overhead. The set remained on serve with no break points on either side until Federer hit a backhand unforced error in the net to face a break point at 5-5 but he fired a massive serve to save it.
He hit another error followed by another service winner and two aces to hang on. The third set wasn’t over yet and already each player had hit 45 winners.
The set went into another tiebreak and Djokovic got the mini-break in the fifth point on a hesitant net approach from Federer, which saw him get passed with a routine Djokovic cross court shot.
Federer got the mini-break back when he challenged a forehand which was wrongfully called out and was awarded the point. But the No4 seed hit an anxious forehand wide the following point to trail 3-5.
Djokovic got his first set points with a forehand winner that had incredible pace and he took a two sets to one lead as a Federer backhand slice flew wide.
The Serb hit just two unforced errors in that set, while Federer landed a remarkable 83 per cent of his first serves in yet still conceded the set. Federer’s form dropped early in the fourth and he went down 0-40 on a loose forehand.
He saved all three break points though by coming to the net but he faced a fourth soon after and succumbed, giving Djokovic a 3-1 lead.
The crowd roared, including an animated Kate Winslet who was on her feet, as Federer broke back the following game with a sharp-angled forehand winner.
But the comeback didn’t last long as Djokovic broke again for a 4-2 lead. The Serb was serving for a second Wimbledon title at 5-3 but Federer found a second gear out of nowhere, sending Djokovic of the court before hitting a forehand winner to the open court.
The drama reached new heights when Federer saved a championship point with two aces to hold and level the set at 5-5.
Two errors and a double fault saw Djokovic inexplicably go down 0-40 the next game and Federer took his third game in a row on a long ball from his opponent.
Just like that, Federer went from saving a championship point to serving for the fourth set and he did it in impeccable fashion to force the fifth set the match deserved.
The last man to win Wimbledon having saved a championship point in the final is Robert Falkenburg who saved three to beat John Bromwich in 1948. Federer was chasing history in more than one way.
Djokovic needed a medical timeout after holding for 2-1 in the fifth, as the trainer checked out his right calf, and the top seed had to save a break point to hold for 4-3. A long volley from Federer saw him face two break points the next game.
He saved both but Djokovic got a third with a backhand passing shot, which had been torturing Federer throughout the match. But the fearless Federer serve-and-volleyed on a second serve and his touches at the net sent Djokovic to the floor and he got to hold after three deuces.
Djokovic finally found his resolve, getting two more championship points but he converted on the first one as a Federer backhand landed in the net.
“It was a great final. I can’t believe I made it to five (sets), it wasn’t looking good there for a while,” joked Federer. “ You know going into a match with Novak it’s always going to be tough, we play athletic points… I can only say congratulations today. Deserved, well-deserved.”
