Novak Djokovic crowned Wimbledon 2015 champion with victory over seven-time winner Roger Federer in four sets

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Novak Djokovic won a pulsating opening set 7-6 (7-1) on Centre Court on Sunday afternoon in 45 minutes
Roger Federer saved seven set points against the world No 1 in the second set to win it 7-6 (12-10)
Defending champion Djokovic won the third set 6-4 as a brief rain delay interrupted proceedings
The world No 1 won the fourth set 6-3 to seal the match 7-6 6-7 6-4 6-3 against seven-time champion Federer
Djokovic is the first person to successfully defend the Wimbledon title since Federer achieved the feat back in 2007

Published: 11:27 EST, 12 July 2015 | Updated: 04:04 EST, 13 July 2015

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We were given privileged access to the golden age of men’s tennis on Sunday, but were ultimately denied a classic Wimbledon final.

A tie-break that will be dusted down and re-run to brighten many rain delays in the future, some glorious ebb and flow from two extraordinary athletes, but a contest that in the end fell short of greatness.

That is due to the ruthless efficiency of the victor, Novak Djokovic, and the fact that Roger Federer could not quite muster the genius level of serving that denied a British presence in the climax of the tournament.

Novak Djokovic celebrates as he beats Roger Federer in four sets during their Wimbledon final on Sunday afternoon

The 28-year-old holds aloft the Wimbledon trophy after successfully defending his title against Federer in a repeat of the 2014 final

Djokovic kisses the golden trophy as he basks in another victorious moment on Centre Court on Sunday afternoon

The Serb was all smiles as he gave a thumbs up to the Centre Court crowd who applauded him for his success

Djokovic (left) poses for a trophy photo with runner-up Federer as the post-match ceremony unfolds

Djokovic beats his chest in jubilation as he defeated Federer 7-6 6-7 6-4 6-3 on Centre Court to win the Wimbledon final

The world No 1 celebrates his successful defence of his Wimbledon title by eating a blade on the hallowed Centre Court

Djokovic's box, including his coach Boris Becker (left), rise in delight as his inside-out cross court forehand seals victory

Federer (right) congratulates Djokovic on his third career title at Wimbledon - after his victory in four sets

Djokovic throws a wristband into the crowd after the world No 1 wins his ninth career Grand Slam title

For Federer though his quest for a record-breaking eighth Wimbledon title continues following defeat on Sunday

THE FINAL BY NUMBERS

1: Only once before the final had Federer been broken through the tournament, but Djokovic broke his serve four times on Sunday

59: Federer’s first-serve percentage was down at 59 per cent after the first set, 26 per cent lower than it was at the same stage against Andy Murray on Friday

35: The Swiss made 11 unforced errors in the first set alone and finished with a total of 35 — he only made 11 during the entire match against Murray

7-1: In terms of points won, the first-set tiebreak was the equal-worst tiebreak Federer has ever played at Wimbledon — he also lost a tiebreak 7-1 to Lleyton Hewitt in the 2004 quarter-finals

163: Djokovic has lost just one best-of-five set match in 164 after winning the first set

16: The Serb made a total of just 16 unforced errors, with eight of those coming in the second set alone

47: Djokovic was more aggressive in the third set, with 47 per cent of his shots being hit inside the baseline compared to 29 per cent in the first two sets

8: The champion won eight of the last nine points in the fourth set as he raced across the finish line

200: Victory for Djokovic was his 200th Grand Slam match win — he is seventh on the all-time list, just three behind Pete Sampras

9: In the last 11 Grand Slams in which Murray has lost before the final, the player who beat him has lost their next match on nine occasions

The 28-year-old Serb was good value for the 7-6 6-7 6-4 6-3 scoreline, stopping the Swiss legend from further gilding his legacy with an eighteenth Grand Slam title. By the end of his career might Djokovic, now on number nine, be challenging the overall tally of the man he defeated on Sunday?

Were it not for the tour de force we saw from Stan Wawrinka in Paris five weeks ago, against an opponent softened up by Andy Murray’s dogged resistance in the French Open semi-finals, we might be bracketing him with Serena Williams right now.

Djokovic, too, could be three quarters of the way to a calendar Grand Slam, and that is the context in which to look at the effort of Federer.

While Tiger Woods, to whom he has so often been compared, is scratching around for some form ahead of this week’s Open the great Swiss is still challenging and often beating the very best.

Yet in truth he never really got close to beating tennis’s greatest warrior, who has picked himself up so admirably after the shattering defeat at Roland Garros, which had been his main target for the year.

Once they had resumed following a 22-minute rain delay at 2-3 in the third set Djokovic always looked likely to be the one eating the grass in celebration.

What will linger down through years to come was the pulsating second set tie-break, which saw Federer refuse to yield in coming back from the precipice of 3-6 down to clinch it 12-10, generating a near frenzy on the Centre Court.

The 18-16 tie-break between John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg in 1980 is still talked about now, and this one might still get an airing in 35 years’ time. That day McEnroe saved seven match points and this time Federer seven of what were effectively the same, given that his opponent has only ever lost once from two sets up.

And after equalling Becker's three Wimbledon titles, Djokovic boasted that the former champion no longer has the bragging rights over him.

'It's been a long run. Ever since we started working, obviously it took some time for us to understand each other,' he said.

'He is somebody who, yes... He is German, I am Serbian so there is a significant difference there.

'But we managed to find the right chemistry and he has contributed a lot. This is his trophy equally as mine and my entire team, my beautiful wife, my family here, thank you all for supporting me, I love you.'

Asked about eating the grass after his win, the Serb said: 'It tasted very, very good this year. I don't know what the grounds people have done but they have done a great job.

'It's a little tradition - as a kid I was really dreaming of winning Wimbledon, so as every child you dream to do something crazy when you actually achieve it, if you achieve it and that was one of the things.'

Djokovic talks about winning 'emotional' Wimbledon final

Djokovic (left) and Federer pose at the net for the customary photo before their engrossing Wimbledon final began on Sunday

Djokovic looks to tackle the formidable Federer serve early on with a sliced backhand during the opening game of the first set

Federer returns a Djokovic shot with a backhand volley as the opening games are played at a frenetic pace

Djokovic's athletic abilities are unparalleled and the world No 1 shows them here as he stretches to reach a Federer shot

The Centre Court crowd were largely behind Federer throughout the match but the Serb did have some support of his own

Sir Alex Ferguson (left) was one of many famous faces in attendance for Sunday's showpiece at SW19

Actors Bradley Cooper (left) and Benedict Cumberbatch were two celebrities who managed to have a seat inside the packed Centre Court

A desperate lunging backhand delivered with that side-of-ham forearm was probably the pick, when he trailed 5-6. It was en route to creating a second set point of his own at 11-10.

Federer then worked his way into the net to deliver a backhand volley winner that levelled the match, and that turned out to be his high watermark.

Djokovic was furious with himself immediately afterwards, whacking his offending racket into the soles of his feet, which were occasionally unsteady around the rutted terrain of the baseline.

These displays of fury, often bubbling up not far beneath the surface, do not make the Serb the most likeable to a kind of crowd that sets so much store by tradition. Nor do the kind of blood-curdling cries that accompanied the final blows that did for the saintly Federer at the end, but he does not half get the job done.

And there can be no arguing about his ability to rouse himself for the big points that are presented by the genius of this sport’s scoring system, which was ultimately superior to that of Federer.

The first set rattled along at a pace which made it seem something like what we might imagine Twenty20 tennis to be: ten games in 31 minutes that contained a break of serve on either side, first Federer then Djokovic.

Federer's aggressive play on grass has been a prominent feature throughout the tournament and it paid dividends early on for the Swiss

The seven-time Wimbledon champion secured the first break of the match to take a 4-2 lead in the first set - to the delight of the crowd

World No 1 Djokovic soon regained his composure to break back immediately as the quality in the first set continued to rise

And the 28-year-old was soon back on the defensive as he managed to save two Federer set points to take the opening set into a tiebreak

Djokovic's wife Jelena roars him on as the defending champion takes the opening set 7-6 (7-1) on Centre Court

Federer hits a driving forehand as he looks to change the course of the match early in the second set against Djokovic

Djokovic stretches every sinew in his body to return a Federer thunderbolt as the quality of the second set continued to amaze the crowd

Both players look up towards the sky in frustration during different times of the second set as their relentless brand of tennis continued

Federer's gracefulness was in full flow as the crowd willed him on to win the second set against the unrelenting Djokovic

Defending Wimbledon champion Djokovic was reduced to being on his hands and knees during a pulsating second set tiebreak

Yet it was the charismatic Federer who prevailed in the second set as he saved seven set points to level the scoreline at one set apiece

Federer's camp, including his wife Mirka, celebrate his second set victory to tie the match at SW19

It was at 6-5 that the Swiss brilliantly created two set points, both saved with powerful flat serves wide out to his backhand.

This was where the Serb succeeded and Murray had failed on Friday, taking Federer to a tie-break with its incumbent pressures. Suddenly his first serve deserted him and he ended up conceding it 7-1 with a double fault on the last point. It was the worst tie-break, scorewise, he had registered in eleven years at Wimbledon.

The match became gloriously tight as the second set progressed towards its magnificent climax, but Federer had enough break opportunities to win it, missing two in the fifth game as Djokovic dug in with courageous forehands.

His second serve was getting the treatment, and after saving a set point at 4-4 he had one of his own at 5-5, but could only whack his forehand, on which he so rarely compromises, into the net.

Then came the classic tie-break and afterwards an opportunity to consolidate the shift of momentum that he had fashioned by winning it. He saved two break points at the start of the third and then, with Djokovic struggling to contain his frustration, sent a forehand long when he could have gone 2-0 up in the next game.

That was his big chance, although victory was unlikely on a day when only 67% of his first serves went in, his most forgiving ratio of the whole tournament.

The Djokovic hammer came down after that. Losing will sting for Federer but, a few weeks short of his 34th birthday, it will probably never sting like it used to.