NOVAK DJOKOVIC became the King of Centre Court once again as he won the first Wimbledon fifth-set tie-breaker.
At the end of the longest Championship final in history – and one of the most thrilling finals in the sport – the world No.1 saved two match points to beat crowd favourite Roger Federer 7-6 1-6 7-6 4-6 13-12.
The Serb looked down and out in the 16th game of the fifth set but after Federer squandered two Championship points, he held on to win a fifth singles crown.
It is the third time in a Wimbledon showpiece occasion the Serb had defeated the Swiss superstar, he now draws level in the SW19 annuals with Swedish icon Bjorn Borg, and it’s his 16th Grand Slam.
Federer, 37, will be kicking himself because he was the better man in the first and third sets before losing them in tie-breaks – and he had Djokovic, 32, firmly on the ropes at times.
Had Federer won this, he would have become the oldest man to win a major in the Open Era.
The Fed Express is the first man since 1948 to lose the title after having match points in the final.
On the eve of the final, Tim Henman told SunSport that Federer would have to enjoy a quick start if he had any aspirations of dethroning the reigning champion.
As far as Henman was concerned, the longer the match went on, the harder it would be for the No.2 seed to prevail against a younger, more physical specimen.
The Swiss star could have not have wished for a better opening service game with two aces, one recorded at 120mph, and a statement of intent that he was up for the fight.
As expected, the crowd were heavily on his side, with countless cries of “Come on Roger” ringing in his ears.
And on 17 minutes Federer was handed the first break point thanks to a Djokovic double fault – yet he wasted the chance with an unforced forehand error.
In truth, neither player found his top rhythm in the opening, tentative skirmishes, but Federer was keen to mix it up, serving-and-volleying at key points, routinely attempting the delicate drop shots.
In topsy-turvy first-set tie-break, Federer went from 3-1 behind to 5-3 ahead and appeared destined to take the advantage.
Yet following a succession of forehand errors from the Fed Express, Djokovic won the next four points to lead 1-0.
In their first meeting since last November, Djokovic could have easily raced away with the contest from this point.
Yet in the second set, Djokovic lost his footing on the dusty baseline and then lost his way as Federer responded by winning six of the next seven games, including THREE breaks.
It was such a spectacularly woeful display from Djokovic that rightly he went off for a toilet break to regroup – and probably punch the bathroom mirror in anger.
Djokovic was clearly not his usual self, trailing in all the key metrics of the match, but he won the third set tie-break to lead 2-1.
Yet when all hope looked lost, Fededer broke twice in the fourth set to send the match into a decider for the fourth time in 48 meetings.
Briefly the atmosphere was more akin to a football match than a gentile tennis tie, with Pimm’s-fuelled chants of: “Let’s go Roger, let’s go.”
Federer had two chances to win the match but first his forehand sailed long and then he was beaten by a Djokovic passing shot.
The match was eventually sealed in the 25th game but only after Djokovic had received a code violation for crashing his racket against the umpire’s chair.
Djokovic now holds three of the four Slams at the same time – Wimbledon, the Australian and US Open – and is the undisputed player of this generation.
For Fededer, the question is whether this was his last chance – and if the eight-time champion of SW19 will ever be back in this position again.
Djokovic said: “This was one of the most exciting, thrilling finals I have ever played.
“Unfortunately in these matches one player has to lose. We both had our chances, it’s quite unreal to be two match points down.
“It’s also strange to play a tie-breaker at 12-12. I was hoping I could get to the last tie-break.
“Roger said he hopes he gives some people to believe at 37 – well, I am one of them. He inspires me for sure.
“When I was a boy, 4-5 years old, growing up and dreaming to be a tennis player, this always the tournament for me. I used to make the trophy out of different materials, imaging myself standing here.”
Federer said: “I will try to forget this! It was a great match. It was long, it had everything, I had my chances. I thought we played great tennis, I am happy with my performances.
“I hope I give some other people a chance to believe at 37 that it’s not over yet. I feel great, this will take time to recover physically. I’m still standing.”
