Top-seeded Novak Djokovic claimed his seventh major and second Wimbledon title by beating seven-time champion Roger Federer 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-4 in a thriller at the Centre Court of the All England Club on Sunday.
Djokovic has joined Mats Wilander and John McEnroe on joint eighth position of the most Grand Slams wins in the Open era. This is his first major title since beating British Andy Murray in the 2013 Australian Open final.
The top-seed after losing the first set in the tiebreaker turned the tide and clinched next two sets against the Swiss Maestro. Federer, however, rallied back and saved a championship point in the fourth set to force the decider.
The 17-time major winner had his chances in the final set, but he failed to convert a break point and eventually went down in three hours and 56 minutes. With this victory, the Serbian also reclaimed the top-spot in the ATP rankings.
"Most special Grand Slam final I've played," Djokovic said. "At the time of my career for this Grand Slam trophy to arrive is crucial, especially after losing several Grand Slam finals in a row. Started doubting of course a little bit. I needed this win a lot. I'm going to try to use it in the best possible way and for my confidence to grow for the rest of my season and the rest of my career."
"Sincerely, this has been the best quality Grand Slam final that I ever been part of," he added. "I've had a longest final against Nadal in the Australian Open 2012. But quality-wise from the first to last point, this is definitely the best match.
"I was overwhelmed with the emotions, positive emotions that I was experiencing in the match. I was not surprised, I was just trying to enjoy the moment, rethink what I've been through during the match."
Federer, who won his last Grand Slam title at the All England Club in 2012, said he is happy to stretch the battle to the fifth set and knew it would be tough to beat the Belgrade native in the Big W final.
"It was a great final," said Federer. "I can't believe I made it to five. It wasn't looking good there for a while. You know going into a match with Novak it's always going to be tough; we play athletic points. I can only say congratulations today for an amazing match, amazing tournament and well deserved."
The 32-year-old, who was bidding to become the oldest champion at the SW19, insisted that he can still compete with the best and add few more titles to his Grand Slam tally.
"I'm very happy to see that with feeling normal I can produce a performance like I did the last two weeks," the Swiss maestro said. "That clearly makes me believe that this was just a stepping stone to many more great things in the future. It's all right there."
"It's been a very positive last couple of weeks for me from when I won Halle," he added. "I'm looking toward a vacation and working out hard again to get myself in shape for the American summer."
