Wimbledon Flashback

It wasn’t the French Open final, with a career Grand Slam as the big reward. But if you wanted to come up with an achievement that will resonate in history as fully as earning all four majors might, beating Roger Federer at the 2014 Wimbledon in what will be remembered as one of the greatest of all matches isn’t exactly a bad option.

Novak Djokovic exercised that option in a stirring, four-hour display by both men of everything this game can offer in the way of variety, skill, perseverance, and spirit. Djokovic won it after failing to convert a match point in the fourth set, 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4. The triumph by Djokovic, a player who’s been dealing with some demons as a competitor for the better part of two years, overshadowed the remarkable stamina, focus, and strength shown by his 32-year-old rival.

There were no breaks in the first set, nor any break points. Yet each game was dramatic and any 15-30 or 30-all point forced spectators to inch closer to the edge of their seats. Only an aficionado of futbol can possibly understand how fascinating something that so often leads to nothing can be. As a result, the tiebreaker loomed even more significant than it otherwise might have been. Set to Federer.

Djokovic regained his composure quickly after losing the set, though. He worked his way to break point for the first time in the match in the very first game, but when he tried to end a long rally with an inside-out forehand, the ball clipped the netcord and flew out.

To make matters worse, Djokovic hit the deck two points later and appeared to injure his leg. He lost that game, but shook off the injury (although he received treatment for it on the next changeover) and then snapped off a quick break of serve to take a 2-1 lead, eventually sealing the set 6-4.

The third set was an enormous disappointment for Federer. Once again, the men went toe-to-toe, neither able to mount a major threat. But it was Federer who seemed to win the mental as well as physical battle through most of the games. In the tiebreak, a Djokovic forehand winner lifted him to set point. He converted successfully when Federer ended a rally with a down-the-line backhand miss. Set to Djokovic.

That had to be deflating for Federer, considering how authoritatively he served throughout the entire third set. And in truth, winning that set may have been the the most significant component in Djokovic’s ultimate win. After so little progress had been made against serve by either man through the first three sets, they were now on the verge of producing three straight breaks as Djokovic threatened with a break point. 4-2, Djokovic.

Djokovic had a match point at 5-4, at 30-40. Federer’s ensuing serve was called out, but the man who hates Hawk-Eye deigned to challenge—and the challenge showed an ace that clipped the back of the service line. Federer went on to hold that game to level at 5-all.

By this time, the harsh discipline that had characterized the early portion of this match was gone, and while the quality of the play remained high, the wave after wave of surprises suggested that anything could, and probably would, happen. What happened is that Federer broke Djokovic and then held to snatch the set, 7-5.

And on it went, into the fifth. Throughout the afternoon, Federer had not been been able to rely entirely on his backhand. In fact, he had just four backhand winners (to 17 by Djokovic) at a late stage of the fifth set. The shot really let him down in the final game to lose the match 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4.

Somehow Djokovic hung in there, kept his faith, and ended up with a win that nobody on earth would call a consolation prize.