During Friday-Saturday-Sunday I discussed the upcoming final with Mrs Palmer, a huge Federer fan.
Like most of that Centre Court crowd, she really wanted Roger to win.
All along I thought he would lose in 4 sets and I’m not being clever after the event.
The World No.1 is 28 and the greatest tennis player who ever lived is 33.
Roger had won Wimbledon 7 times, Djokovic had won it twice before Sunday afternoon.
He is the main man now. Everybody knows that.
The 28-year old beat the 33-year old 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 in a match of high quality, one of the best Finals we’ve ever seen.
During the first set I believed that Federer could win that set.
But during the tie break Djokovic led 6-1 and then Federer served a double fault.
On his best days Novak Djokavic looks like a titanium man, an unbeatable warrior made from an indestructible alloy.
Second set, Roger was serving at 4-5 and it went to 15-30 and 30-all and 30-40 and set point.
Then, remarkably, Roger wins the point on his second serve, the only point he’d won on his second serve in the whole of the second set, and he held serve for 5-5.
Then it went to 6-6.
The Tie Break was 3-1 and 3-2 and 4-2 and 4-3 and 5-3 and 6-3 and 6-4 and 6-5 after Federer saved a set point by winning a staggering 27-stroke rally.
That rally of mind-boggling quality and drama levelled it at 6-6!
And on they battled to 10-10 and then Federer won it 12-10 to level the match.
ONE SET EACH!!
There was a rain break in the third and when they came back Novak was holding his serve to love and took the third set 6-4.
At 3-5 in the fourth Federer served to stay in the match and it quickly slipped to 15-30 and 15-40 and then the Serb hit the winning stroke.
Let this be noted : the story wasn’t that the popular Roger Federer lost.
It was that Novak Jokovic confirmed his No.1 ranking by winning his third Wimbledon title.
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From Brendan : Wimbledon
Hi Myles,
Just a comment on the Wimbledon post you wrote.
I’ve never really been that crazy about tennis but I really like Novak Djoković.
He is such a positive character, a really genial person, and a brilliant ambassador for his country.
And what a powerhouse! With such delicacy when he needs it, though.
I have massive respect for the man.
I don’t want to abstract this too much but it’s great for Serbia to have a hero like that.
It’s a country that is hugely misrepresented and misunderstood. The Serbs were demonised unfairly in the post Yugoslavia conflict in the 1990s.
To see a guy like Novak who is so calm, unflustered, generous of spirit and well-disposed to all comers, is a great bit of free marketing for them.