Novak Djokovic is not known as a man of few words. But on Sunday, after his exhilarating 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4 win over Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final, he kept it short and sweet.
“I need this win a lot.”
No kidding. With this win, he broke the three-match losing streak in major finals dating back exactly one year ago when he fell on Centre Court to Andy Murray in straight sets. He followed that defeat with a loss to Rafael Nadal at the U.S. Open, and another tough defeat at the hands of the Spaniard at Roland Garros last month.
In those matches, he let leads and momentum slip and was never able to recover mentally. Today, the 27-year old lost a tense first set in a tiebreak, won the second and third, and led 5-2 and had a match point on Fed’s serve in the fourth set. But he allowed the Swiss to come back and win five straight games to force a fifth. The momentum was clearly in Fed’s corner at that point. But the top seed regrouped (apparently giving himself a positive pep talk during the bathroom break between sets), held his serve throughout the set, and was able to break Fed in the tenth game to win the match. It was an absolute classic with both ballers striking the ball with authority, covering the court with seemingly inhuman ability, and fighting until the end. As he did in 2011 when he won his first Wimbledon crown, he knelt on the ground and ate a piece of grass to commemorate the win.
It was an emotional victory for both Nole and Fed, and it showed during the trophy ceremony. While tears of happiness and relief seemed to flow from the Serb, a single tear from the seven-time champ etched the disappointment of not making good on a golden opportunity. History, per the usual when talking about the Swiss, was on the line. Fed was looking to capture his record eight title at the All England Club, passing Pete Sampras and William Renshaw. The grass courts have been the 32-year old's sanctuary over the years. Who knows when an opportunity like this one will come again.
Nole, who regained the number one ranking from Rafa with the victory, has now reestablished himself as a champion at the majors. He tied John McEnroe and Mats Wilander with eight majors each. And his confidence will be high as the tour moves to the hard courts – his favorite surface – of North America.
In this final, Nole needed few words. For the first time in a while, he let his tennis do the talking.
[Photo(s) credit: Getty Images]
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