After two weeks of memorable matches, upsets and a huge breakthrough for an Australian teen sensation, this year’s Wimbledon Championships will reach its climax when Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer battle it out for the title in Sunday’s championship match.
Djokovic will be appearing in his third Wimbledon final and 14th Grand Slam final overall, while Federer will be contesting a remarkable 25th Grand Slam final and ninth at Wimbledon, thus making this one of the most highly anticipated Wimbledon finals in recent memory.
Thus, this match has the potential to produce a classic not seen since 2009, when Federer edged out Andy Roddick 16-14 in the final set for his 15th Grand Slam title, which pulled him clear of Pete Sampras for most Grand Slam titles won.
Without further ado, here is the full preview to the 2014 Wimbledon men’s singles final.
Novak Djokovic (1) versus Roger Federer (4)
Head-to-head: Federer 18-16
Last meeting: Federer won 7-5, 6-2, semi-finals, 2014 Monte Carlo Masters
Novak Djokovic
14th career Grand Slam final
Previous best result: Won (2011)
Road to the final
Round 1: defeated Andrey Golubev 6-0, 6-1, 6-4
Round 2: defeated Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5)
Round 3: defeated Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
Round 4: defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (14) 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
Quarter-final: defeated Marin Cilic (26) 6-1, 3-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-2
Semi-final: defeated Grigor Dimitrov (11) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (9-7)
Roger Federer
25th career Grand Slam final
Previous best result: Won seven times (2003-7, 2009, 2012)
Road to the final
Round 1: defeated Paolo Lorenzi 6-1, 6-1, 6-3
Round 2: defeated Gilles Muller 6-3, 7-5, 6-3
Round 3: defeated Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 6-1, 6-3
Round 4: defeated Tommy Robredo (23) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
Quarter-final: defeated Stanislas Wawrinka (5) 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-4
Semi-final: defeated Milos Raonic (8) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Ladies and gentlemen, make sure you have your coffee well and truly prepared before this match because you are going to be in for one hell of a Grand Slam final between two of tennis’ great gladiators.
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have, throughout the last fortnight, not only justified their world rankings but also demonstrated the form that vindicates their getting this far at this year’s Wimbledon Championships.
Currently ranked second in the world, Djokovic can reclaim the world number one ranking if he wins his second Wimbledon title. Being seeded first, however, hasn’t seemed to make a difference for the Serb, whose path to his third final at the All England Club hasn’t been all that smooth.
Djokovic was first taken to four sets by Radek Stepanek in the second round, with the Czech threatening to take the match into a fifth set when he kept level throughout the fourth set. Then, a round later, the Serb appeared to seriously injure a shoulder in a fall against Gilles Simon in the third set before winning in straights.
In the quarter-finals, Djokovic found himself down two sets to one against Marin Cilic before emerging out of trouble to win in five, and narrowly averted a fifth set against Grigor Dimitrov by saving a few set points in the tense fourth set.
Now, the Serb will look to reverse his recent woeful record in Grand Slam finals, which have seen him drop five of his last six championship matches since that epic victory over Rafael Nadal in the 2012 Australian Open final.
He has won three Masters titles this season at Indian Wells, Miami and Rome, but will be seeking his first major title since last year’s Australian Open. He has lost to the eventual champion in five subsequent Grand Slam tournaments.
In spark contrast to Djokovic’s bumpy ride to the Wimbledon final, Roger Federer’s quest to win a record-breaking eighth title only hit one major roadblock – the concession of the first set against Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals.
Other than that, the Fed Express has won his other five matches in straight sets, and with the exception of his aforementioned four-set victory over Wawrinka in the last eight stage, was never taken to a tiebreak.
In his semi-final against Milos Raonic, he never dropped his serve and broke at crucial times in each set on the way to a straight-sets victory.
After a mostly poor 2013 season in which Federer failed to reach a Grand Slam final in a calendar year for the first time since 2002, the Swiss hired the services of Stefan Edberg as his coach and the results are there for all to see.
He dethroned Djokovic to win his sixth title in Dubai, then fell to him in a final set tiebreak in the final at Indian Wells. As well as that, he fell to Wawrinka in the final at Monte Carlo, before successfully defending his title in Halle.
Now, having returned to the final at Wimbledon after being shown the door in the second round last year, more history awaits Roger Federer. An 18th Grand Slam title, eighth Wimbledon title and 80th career title all beckon if he can get past Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s championship match.
But can he do it, or will Djokovic reign for a second time at the All England Club?
Stats that matter
* This will be Novak Djokovic’s 14th career Grand Slam final (6-7) and third at Wimbledon (1-1) overall, while for Federer this will be his 25th (17-7) and ninth (7-1) at these respective categories.
* This will be their twelfth meeting at Grand Slam level; Federer leads 6-5 in this category including winning their most recent meeting at Wimbledon in 2012.
* This will be only their second meeting in a Grand Slam final, after Federer defeated Djokovic in the final of the 2007 US Open in the latter’s first Grand Slam final.
* This will be their tenth meeting in a final; Djokovic leads 5-4 in this category.
* This will be only their second meeting on grass; Federer won the aforementioned meeting at Wimbledon at 2012 in four sets.
* For the first time in modern history, this year’s men’s championship match will feature two former champions. Djokovic will shoot for a second title at the All England Club, while Federer will aim for a record-breaking eighth.
* This is the first Grand Slam final since the 2009 US Open not to feature either Andy Murray or Rafael Nadal, after both fell in the quarter-finals and fourth round here respectively.
* Djokovic will look to join Federer and Nadal as multiple-winners of Wimbledon.
* Only two men (Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro) have ever beaten Federer in a Grand Slam final. Djokovic will look to become the third.
* Federer will look to join Nadal in becoming the only man to win any Grand Slam tournament more than seven times. Nadal has won the French Open a record nine times.
The verdict
Given the imperious form displayed by both men throughout these Championships, it’ll be hard to pick a winner with any real confidence.
Novak Djokovic will be desperate to reverse his recent Grand Slam woes which have seen him lose to the eventual champion in his last six starts. His form throughout the fortnight hasn’t been perfect, but it does warrant his chances of winning a second Wimbledon title to compliment his sole success in 2011.
Additionally, the lure of reclaiming the world number one ranking ahead of the US Open series will also play into his mind. But so too will the chance to break another outright record held by Pete Sampras of seven Wimbledon titles for Roger Federer.
There has not been a five-set final at Wimbledon since 2009 but the potential is there for what should be another classic between the two gladiators of men’s tennis.
Prediction
Roger Federer in five sets.
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