Novak Djokovic saved two match balls and beat Roger Federer in a big battle, by 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6 and 13-12 (3), in the final longest in Wimbledon history, to win this tournament for the fifth time in his career, equal Bjorn Borg, and beat Rod Laver, and also add the second major this year after the Australian Open in January.
The one of 2008, with Nadal beating Federer by 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8) and 9-7 in four hours and 48 minutes, and ending almost in the dark, was up this Sunday the longest final of the tournament. In the 133 edition, Djokovic prevailed in four hours and 57 minutes, also premiering in that game the new tiebreaker formula when in the fifth set it was 12-12.
"I'll try to forget it," Federer said when asked about the track after almost five hours of fighting, and provoking the laughter of the 15,000 spectators. "It was a great match, and long, I gave it my all. I had many opportunities, but I am happy with my performance. Feliciades, Novak, it's been crazy, "said the Swiss.
"I hope to be able to give faith to other people and to know that at 37 all is not finished," he added.
Djokovic already has 16 titles of the Grand Slam, approaching the 18 of the Spanish Rafael Nadal, however, and thanks to the triumph of the Serbian will maintain the position of number two in the world on Monday, with 485 points of advantage over Federer.
The triumphant career of the Serbian, champion last year at the All England Club, continues in the 'majors' where he has won four of the last five in which he has participated. After his stint at Wimbledon in 2018, with victory against South African Kevin Anderson, he won the US Open against Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, and became champion against Nadal in the final of the Australian Open in January.
He has only failed at Roland Garros, where he bowed to the Austrian Dominic Thiem in the semifinals, and in five sets.
With the victory of this Sunday, Djokovic has already won three finals to Federer in this tournament (2014 and 2015). He has taken the measure. The Serbian lost the first duel between them in the All England, in the semifinals of 2012. In total he leads with 26-22 in the balance, winning the last five disputed. Federer has not beaten him since 2015, in the first phase of the ATP Finals.
It was a great battle. Federer managed 25 aces, but missed at the key moment, when in the fifth set, after breaking Serbian serve (8-7) he wasted two match balls. The first with a fault sending the ball out, and the second after a master shot cross right from 'Nole', which was not crushed before the rise to the Swiss network, which eventually ended up yielding its service.
Before his son Stefan, and his parents Srdjan and Dijana, Djokovic starred in one of the most special moments of his career, winning the three crucial tiebrakes of the afternoon. Federer once again left his mark on the central, with master left and spectacular increases to the network, but the Swiss made 62 unforced errors, ten less than the Serbian, more stable from the bottom.
With the Swedish Stefan Edberg, the Czech Jan Kodes, the Australians Rod Laver and John Newcombe, the American Stan Smith and the Spanish Manuel Santana in the royal box, presided by the Dukes of Cambridge, William and Kate Middleton, Djokovic became the master of a track in which he has triumphed as many times as Borg and the British Laurie Doherty, and where he has surpassed the four titles of Laver, now placing two of Pete Sampras and William Renshaw.
The winner received a check of 2,350,000 pounds (2,622,157 euros or 2,955,423 dollars) and 2,000 ATP points. The final of this year was the first, to a total of five sets, since the 2014, when Djokovic won Federer, 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5- 7 and 6-4 in three hours and 56 minutes.
The Argentine Damian Steiner, 44, born in Buenos Aires and who went to sports journalist in his youth, led the final this year, the first of his Grand Slam career.