Life is full of disappointments. But if we all dealt with them the same way Novak Djokovic reacts to his, the world would probably be a much happier place.
Barely five weeks ago, Djokovic was standing on Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris, fighting tears after a heart-wrenching defeat to Stan Wawrinka, who dashed his hopes of completing a career grand slam.
On Sunday, he was taking a bite of the grass on Wimbledon Centre Court, celebrating a third triumph at the All England Club and a ninth grand slam title victory.
The Serbian world No 1 has made an art out of bouncing back and his 7-6 (1), 6-7 (10), 6-4, 6-3 win over Roger Federer in the final was the perfect exhibition of mental strength.
“This sport makes you recover very fast. Within a couple weeks you really need to get your things together and motivate yourself to be able to play on a high level in another grand slam,” said Djokovic after his win.
“It’s actually good that we have Wimbledon just a few weeks after Roland Garros because I had pretty much two years with the same situation, where I lost in four sets, in a tough match, in the finals of Roland Garros, against (Rafael) Nadal last year, against (Stan) Wawrinka this year. Obviously, disappointed and heartbroken.
“But if there is one thing that I learned in this sport, it is to recover fast and to leave things behind me and move on.”
He added: “As a team we tried to grasp everything that we have achieved, especially during this couple of weeks, being able to bounce back mentally after Roland Garros, a tough loss there, and to win this trophy which makes it even bigger.”
– Also: Djokovic wins third Wimbledon title
– #360view: Serena Williams looks better than ever
– Wimbledon: Anything is possible after Serena Slam
Centre Court was the place to be and with the host of actors in attendance – Clive Owen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bradley Cooper, Kate Winslet, Jeremy Piven and Hugh Grant were all there – you’d think it was a movie premiere not a tennis final.
And halfway through, the match felt as dramatic as any film boasting one of those stars and Centre Court felt more and more like a theatre.
After trailing by a break, 2-4 in the opening set, Djokovic struck back immediately to level for 4-4 and after saving two set points in game 12, he took the set into a tiebreak.
Federer’s serve was not as impeccable as it had been against Andy Murray in the semi-finals, as he served at 59 per cent while Djokovic was flopping at the net, succeeding only twice in nine approaches.
The Serb played a flawless tie-break though to take a one-set lead. He had never lost a grand slam match to Federer after winning the first set and the Swiss knew what he was up against.
It was Federer who had the first chances to break in the second set but Djokovic was resolute and he got his first set point in the 10th game. Federer got his opponent on the move though to save it and hold for 5-5.
Djokovic was under pressure but held in a marathon 11th game but the real drama came in the tiebreak.
Federer miraculously saved six set points in the breaker to take it to 10-10 and he snatched the set with a well-struck volley winner at the net.
Looking back at the seven set points he squandered, Djokovic ripped his shirt in the changeover and roared in frustration.
But the way he responded to that setback was remarkable as he broke Federer to go up 3-1 in the third set.
The Swiss held for 2-3 before play was suspended for a brief shower. But the players returned to the court 15 minutes later with the roof still open as the rain subsided. Djokovic closed out the set comfortably, holding to love with a routine overhead.
He won 94 per cent of his first serve points in that set and was 9/10 at the net unlike his 4/14 in the first two sets.
A tentative half-volley by Federer fell way short and Djokovic broke for 3-2 in the fourth. A return winner gave Djokovic two championship points and he unleashed an inside out forehand winner to claim a third Wimbledon title to equal his coach Boris Becker’s tally.
“He continuously puts a lot of pressure on you,” explained Djokovic of the challenge of facing a seven-time Wimbledon champion like Federer. “Especially on the grass, he plays one, two games very quickly, chips and charges, just takes away the time, which Andy (Murray) and I need.”
“We are baseline players and we need a little bit more time. We are not as talented as Roger, who wins his service games in 30 seconds.
“In the end when I finished the last point, I took out everything that was in me. It’s a great achievement. Even though it’s the third title here, it feels like first.”
Djokovic’s ninth major title has taken him past legends like Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl, as he now has taken sole possession of eighth place in the all-time list of grand slam leaders.
The 28-year-old also became one of just seven players to win 200 or more grand slam matches as he entered that exclusive club in the most glorious style imaginable.
