VIDEO: Novak Djokovic Beats Roger Federer in Historic Marathon Wimbledon Final
By Adam Weinrib
If not for the installation of a fifth-set tiebreak in this year's edition of Wimbledon, entering the proceedings when the final frame reaches a 12-12 mark, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic's endless battle may never have reached its conclusion. Though the final point of the match cascaded sideways off the edge of Federer's racket, nearly everything that came before was pure tennis perfection.
A match for the ages…
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 14, 2019
The moment @DjokerNole retained his crown to become #Wimbledon champion for a fifth time after a historic men’s singles final#JoinTheStory pic.twitter.com/zDQlEBviMD
The final score was 7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 4-6, 13-12, but the entire five-hour match was extended when Djokovic crawled back from the absolute brink, down 40-15 with two championship points on Federer's serve. For that matter, the first set's tiebreak sat 5-3 on Fed's racket as well.
What we just witnessed was a battle of resolve for the ages, with two individual Djokovic rallies ultimately winning the day. This match, culminating in Djokovic's 16 Grand Slam, deserves a special place on the shelf in Newport.