Djokovic Is Wimbledon Champion Again

07 Jul, 2014

Novak Djokovic claimed a second Wimbledon title after coming out on top in an extraordinary battle of wills against seven-times winner Roger Federer, eventually triumphing 6-7(7) 6-4 7-6(4) 5-7 6-4 in a gripping encounter on Sunday.

The Serb, who has now won seven grand slam titles, denied Federer the opportunity to win a record eighth All England Club trophy but was pushed all the way by the Swiss who faced a match point in the fourth set before forcing a decider.

Djokovic eventually wrapped up the contest that will go down as one of the greatest Wimbledon finals in three hours and 56 minutes, falling to the ground in celebration before climbing to the players’ box to greet his camp with an emotional embrace.

“I don’t know how I managed to do it,” said a teary Djokovic, who had lost his last three grand slam finals.

Federer was magnanimous in defeat and even slightly disbelieving of his own resolve having forced a decider after looking down and out at 5-2 down in the fourth set. “It was a great final. I can’t believe I made it to five, it wasn’t looking good for a while,” he said.

The Djokovic serve had seemed impregnable in the early games of the match. He held three times for the loss of a single point, while he was also able to apply gentle pressure on his opponent with some stinging returns.

Federer, chasing a record eighth title, raced into an early 3-0 lead but was then pegged back and saved two set points before coming out on 9-7 when Djokovic netted a backhand after 51 minutes of scintillating play.

This time, there was no stopping the Serb as Federer netted a backhand to leave Djokovic to accept the acclaim of an emphatically appreciative crowd.

Reuters

Image Getty

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