The Iron Will of Djokovic beat the Supreme Skill of Federer
Roger Federer this year had been in supreme form with his big service adding a lethal touch to his envious arsenal of devastating forehand, sublime backhand, the wonderfully spinning drop shots and delicate lobs. He was playing some of the best tennis of his career, defying age and rolling back the years.
When Federer played on Centre court, it had a carnival like feel with the adoring crowd, wanting and expecting him to win. And win he did through most rounds with emphatic displays. He had cruised past most opponents including a bulldozing Nadal in the semis.
None of Nadal’s tactics or intimidation seemed to work against the will of the Swiss Master. He simply stood and delivered against the manic Spaniard. Mentally he looked most determined to claim back his beloved Wimbledon title.
Djokovic meanwhile struggled his way past most opponents. He did well to beat Agut in the semis but he definitely looked out of sorts despite winning.
In the finals, Federer was off the blocks like a rocket. His service matched his shots. Djokovic struggled with his service and that had a huge impact on his game. He couldn't get anywhere near Federer’s games. But the guy just was not ready to give in despite his erratic form
Novak held on to his games with a dogged determination and pushed it to tie-breakers where he managed to get the better off Roger. After winning the first set tie-breaker, he literally disappeared in the 2nd set which saw a dominant Federer win 6–1.
In the 3rd set, Novak was back to his fighting self, forcing another Tie Breaker which he again won. Roger Federer went on the offensive and claimed the fourth set 6–4 breaking Djokovic twice. But in the 4th set, Novak did manage to break Federer’s service once, for a change.
Then came the final set which turned into a battle of nerves for both players. Roger continued to shine while Novak continued to fight. Both players broke each other but fought back with more energy each time they were down.
At 7–7 Roger broke Novak to go up 8–7 and was serving for the match. Facing two match points, Novak forced an error from Federer’s forehand and then produced one of the coolest forehand winners to take it to deuce and later claimed the game.
It was a massive turning point as the match headed to a 12–12 stale mate and the players had to play the final tie-break. Djokovic took it one point at a time and forced more errors from Roger Federer to finally win his 5th Wimbledon.
It was a memorable match, that lasted for almost 5 hours. Still wondering how it would have all ended had the 5th set continued without the tie-break option.
On a day when Roger Federer was sublime, with everything going right for him, Djokovic hung in there with determination. It was his defensive play that helped him withstand the storm that Federer was whipping up at the other end.
Roger Federer would have won hands down if he had been facing anyone else. Unfortunately for him it happened to be the resolute Djokovic on the other side. Despite struggling, Novak played a match worthy of his No. 1 ranking. The harder Djokovic defended, the tougher it got for the aggressive Federer.
Hats off to Novak Djokovic for one of the most steely displays of his career and Thank you Roger Federer for all the joy and magic. Please do not retire yet FedEx.
This was an epic finals with many firsts -
It was the longest Wimbledon Finals till date.
It was the 1st time the final has been decided through a tiebreak at Wimbledon.
The first time a player let two Championship points slip by.
But the Wimbledon 2019 finals would always be remembered as the match where the best player lost, but the best fighter won.
Image Credit: Google Images
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