The legend of Novak Djokovic, can only be bolstered by his extraordinary feat of winning the longest Wimbledon final in history.
Djokovic became the first man in the Open era to save Championship points in a final here and still go on to win the title. He came through three tie-breaks – including the first 12-12 tie-break to be contested in singles, anywhere in the world – to edge Roger Federer by an unfamiliar-looking 7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 4-6, 13-12 scoreline.
Not for the first time, Djokovic defied the vast balance of crowd support. There was a memorable moment at the end of the match when he stood and stared up into the screaming mass of fans – not saying anything, but just projecting a “Yeah, you and whose army?” kind of vibe. Then he squatted down on his hips and performed his personal tradition of plucking a blade of grass and eating it.
Jeff Bezos, the world’s most famous shopping magnate, was looking on from the Royal Box as the two greatest Wimbledon champions of this era took the court.
At 4hr 57min, it outlasted the legendary 2008 showdown between Federer and Rafael Nadal by nine minutes, and came close to achieving the same transcendent drama down the final straight. “I’m the loser both times,” said Federer afterwards, “so that’s the only similarity I see.” “You take it on your chin, you move on,” Federer said. “You try to forget, try to take the good things out of this match. There’s just tons of it. Similar to ’08 maybe, I will look back at it and think, ‘Well, it’s not that bad after all.’ For now it hurts, and it should, like every loss does here at Wimbledon. I think it’s a mindset. I’m very strong at being able to move on because I don’t want to be depressed about actually an amazing tennis match.” But then, a couple of moments later, he added, “I just feel like it’s such an incredible opportunity missed, I can’t believe it.”
Djokovic won 204 points to Federer’s 218, and was outdone on the winner count by 94 to 54. But some points are more equal than others in this crazy sport. When the pressure is at its most stifling, Djokovic often goes to a place that his rivals – even the greatest of them – cannot find.
