Federer seeking ninth Wimbledon title
WIMBLEDON, England — If Roger Federer's going to win a record ninth championship at Wimbledon, he'll need to follow up a victory over Rafael Nadal with one over defending champion Novak Djokovic.
Federer has played both at the same Grand Slam tournament only once, at the 2011 French Open: He beat Djokovic in the semifinals, but lost to Nadal in the final.
As is the case with Nadal, Federer has faced Djokovic so many times over the years that each knows the other's game so well. And as is the case with Nadal, Djokovic has managed to get the better of Federer headtohead so far.
“It's the same like going into a Rafa match: I think the moment you've played somebody, probably, more than 15 times — especially in recent years, also, a few times — there's not that much more left out there. Especially, you know where the players go when it really matters,” the No. 2seeded Federer said, looking ahead to Sunday's final, his 12th at the All England Club.
“How much can you still surprise somebody?”
This will be the 48th time Federer and Djokovic play against each other as pros, which is eight more than Federer vs. Nadal has happened.
It's also the 16th showdown between Federer and Djokovic at a Grand Slam tournament, breaking a tie with Djokovic vs. Nadal for the most by a pair of men in the Open era, which began in 1968.
Djokovic leads 2522 overall, 96 at the majors, 31 in Grand Slam finals and 21 at Wimbledon.
Plus, Djokovic has won their four most recent showdowns.
“At the end of the day, it comes very much down to who's better on the day, who's in a better mental place, who's got more energy left,” Federer said, “who's tougher when it really comes to the crunch.”
He is 81 in past finals at the grasscourt tournament he's ruled the way no other man has. Two of those defeats were in 2014 and 2015 against Djokovic; the other came in 2008 against Nadal.
Federer and Nadal hadn't played since then at Wimbledon until their semifinal Friday.
This time, Federer came through, although he needed five match points to secure his 76 (3), 16, 63, 64 victory.