Federer turns back the clock and finds Djokovic yet again
Victory for the Fed Express will break the record for the most Wimbledon titles
ROGER Federer can today win a record eighth Wimbledon title and become the oldest champion of the modern era if he can find a way past world No 1 Novak Djokovic.
The 33-year-old Swiss has defied those who dared to write him off when he lost last year’s final — which turned out to be the match of the year — to the Serb in five gruelling sets.
At that time, it was widely and wistfully viewed as Federer’s last great chance at an 18th grand slam singles title and a record eighth Wimbledon singles title.
But one year later, here comes another chance.
His breathtaking demolition of Andy Murray in Friday’s semifinals was a throwback to his years of grand slam dominance when he captured 16 of his 17 majors in a seven-year spell between 2003 and 2010.
Now he has reached a 10th Wimbledon final, the oldest man to do so since 39-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1974, and his 26th grand slam final overall.
A win today would break the tie of seven Wimbledon titles he shares with Pete Sampras and which he levelled with his most recent slam, the 2012 All England Club crown.
Ahead of their 40th career meeting, Federer and defending champion Djokovic are equally matched.
Federer has a 20-19 career edge in their head-to-heads but they are locked at 6-6 in the grand slams.
In finals at the majors they are 1-1 with Djokovic’s Wimbledon triumph of 12 months ago following Federer’s straight sets victory in the 2007 US Open.
So today it will be No 1 (Djokovic) vs No 2 (Federer) in what remains one of the great rivalries in the history of men’s tennis. This will be their 40th encounter. Federer leads by 20-19, and they have split their last eight matches.
But their grand slam meetings re-
AT THE TOP: No 1 seed Novak Djokovic, left, and No 2 seed Roger Federer main rare.
This will be only their third in three years, and all have come at Wimbledon, the anachronistic yet still essential tennis place that both men hold dearest, but where Federer has held court the longest.
“We all know how good he is,” Djokovic said. “He’s the greatest ever. There’s not enough praises for what he does, but this is where he loves to play. This is where he plays his best tennis, I think.”
As it was last year, this will be a duel across generations.
Tennis plot lines can shift quickly this time of year. A few weeks ago it appeared Djokovic had a serious chance of rolling to the grand slam, but that was before Stan Wawrinka beat him (and Federer) in the French Open.
Now, with Federer’s extraordinary level of play at the All England Club, Djokovic just might lose Wimbledon, too.
“It’s a 50-50 match no matter what,” said Ivan Ljubicic, the former No 3 player in the world who has been hitting with Federer at Wimbledon this year. “If you compare Murray and Novak, what are Murray’s weaknesses? Second serve. Novak has that covered. Murray is sometimes too defensive. Novak is not, so Novak is going to really squeeze that gap, and he’s going to push Roger to be even better than he was against Murray.
“That’s why I think we’re going to have a fantastic final.”
Djokovic has said that Federer and Rafael Nadal forced him to toughen up his game; maximise his strengths; shore up his weaknesses, think creatively. The challenge that Djokovic poses has certainly kept the game interesting for Federer, as well.
“He’s become very match tough; he always shows up; it’s tough to beat him,” Federer said. “You know, he’s been very injury free. He’s been good for the game.”
But Federer was playing down the mano a mano on Friday, emphasising instead the internal process and rewards.
“The rivalry part is really not that important to me,” he said. “It’s only to have that feeling of victory at Wimbledon and on the grass. It’s why I still play tennis, and I’m happy that I gave myself this opportunity on Sunday.” He is hardly alone in taking pleasure in it. Even against Murray, there was plenty of popular support for Federer and his flourishes (see astounding backhand flick pass in the final game). With Murray eliminated, the Centre Court crowd should be strongly in Federer’s favour during the final.
“People might not know how many more opportunities I’m going to have,” Federer said when asked about the support he had received against Murray. “So they’re going to be emotionally attached to me maybe more as well, as they were to Andre Agassi at the end of his career and other players. Of course I appreciate that.” He has earned it with his enduring excellence and enduring flair. Those who first played him long ago certainly respect the journey.
“I still sometimes wake up in the night and have nightmares about our matches,” Ljubicic said, his family in tow. “Today [Friday] was a reminder of what he was in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007. This was him at his best tennis. This is what people buy tickets for and what people want to see: the ability to win points in a hundred different ways.”
In light of Djokovic’s manifold tennis gifts and experience under pressure, 100 different ways might be required today. —