The Wimbledon 2015 Final saw Novak end Roger's dream of an eighth Wimbledon title, and in the process claiming his 3rd SW19 title and his 9th Grand Slam in total. This puts him at 5 on the all time list of Open Era champions.
List of players with most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era:
List of players with most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era:
Rank
|
Player
|
Total
|
1
|
17
|
|
2
|
14
|
|
14
|
||
4
|
11
|
|
5
|
9
|
The first two sets were very close, with the two opposing styles producing some great tennis. It was really in the third set where the scientific approach from Novak began to wear down the Federer challenge. It was clear that Novak's consistency and precision took it's toll on Roger physically but more importantly psychologically.
Shut out
Early in the 3rd set there was short break to get the covers on and that appeared to be the final turning point to end the challenge from Roger. The artist's errors began to grow in numbers as he felt the need to give that little bit extra on each ball. This was largely due to Novak's pressure and consistency. Everyone had talked about Roger's serve as the weapon that would underpin his quest for 2015 Wimbledon glory, but again this was neutralised by Novak's pressure. Andy Murray in the semi final didn't put the same pressure on the return and additionally his second serve gave Roger many chances to attack. Novak's serve, especially on big points, didn't give Roger the same opportunities. Whenever Roger had those half chances, he tried too hard and the unforced error count grew.
Crowd silenced
The Wimbledon crowd were overwhelmingly in favour of Roger, but Novak's play and the break for to get the covers on for a brief period seemed to dampen the crowd's spirits. The crowd were never really given the same hope as they'd experienced in sets 1 and 2. In the end for the Federer fans it was an anticlimactic conclusion and in hindsight more inevitable than had probably been thought (rather stupidly I too had underestimated Novak's ability to execute).
A notable difference between this match and the Roland Garros final last month where Novak lost in 4 sets to Stan Wawrinka came down to power. Stan's artistry was backed with a lot of power, so those stylish one handed backhands down the line were never coming back. Roger no longer (or maybe never had) has that type of power on the backhand side as we've seen from Stan in the past few seasons. As a result it made it even more difficult for him to get points on the board.
Djokovic to dominate
With the decline of Nadal and less so of Federer and Murray, Djokovic's serious challengers in the slams are few and far between. Stan Wawrinka appears to be Djokovic's number 1 nemesis in tennis right now, but Stan's consistency means we are never sure how far he will go in any given slam.
If we refer back to the all time leader's list of Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, it is likely that Djokovic will surpass Sampras and Rafa who sit at 14.
Having turned 28 in May this year, it isn't hard to imagine Novak having at least another 4 years at the top as he is arguably the greatest athlete in the sport's history. For example, between now and the end of the 2018 season there are 13 slams to play for. It isn't too difficult to imagine Novak winning 6 or 7 or possibly more. If he wins 6 that takes him to 15 and just 2 away from Federer. I wouldn't bet against Novak equalling or even surpassing Roger's amazing record. What is interesting, when we compare him to the other leaders he is relatively old on the day of his 9th slam victory.
Age when they won their 9th Grand Slam:
- Bjorg - Roland Garros on 8th June, 1980. Age: 24
- Sampras - Australian Open on 26th January 1997. Age: 25
- Federer - US Open on 10th September 2006. Age: 25
- Nadal - US Open on 13th September 2010. Age: 24
- Djokovic - Wimbledon on 12th June 2015. Age: 28
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