Novak Djokovic is back on top of the tennis world, after a year of battling injury, a lack of motivation, coaching changes and frustration.
The Serbian who was a former world number one claimed his fourth career Wimbledon title and first Grand Slam in over two years with a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 victory over South African Kevin Anderson.
Djokovic got a quick break in the first set and was in control
In the first game of the match, Djokovic earned a break against the big-serving Anderson when Anderson double-faulted down 30-40.
Djokovic kept his foot on the pedal with simple holds sandwiched around an Anderson hold. The Serbian star got another break in the fifth game with after a phenomenal backhand return that left Anderson no room at the net.
Up 4-1, Djokovic slammed the door shut with a hold at love and another easy hold, taking the set six games to two in just 29 minutes.
The 31-year-old Serb was simply dominant in the opening set, winning 10 of his 12 first-serve points (83 percent) and committing just one unforced error. Anderson committed 11. Anderson’s biggest weapon, the serve, produced just two aces, and he put just nine of 20 (45 percent) first serves in play.
For the second straight set, Djokovic broke Anderson in the first game, and things were relatively simple from there. He got another break in the fifth game and backed that up by pulling out a tough hold that went to deuce.
Two games later, Djokovic survived Anderson’s first break opportunity, 30-40, after an Anderson groundstroke went long following an extended rally. He went on to put the game and the set away with a big serve two points later.
Though Anderson’s first serve percentage jumped to 64 percent in the set, he won just 50 percent of those points, a testament to Djokovic’s terrific returning skills. Anderson’s biggest undoing, once again, was the unforced error: He committed 14 to Djokovic’s six in the set.
Anderson began to find his footing in the match in the third set. He held each of his first four service games, and he even got his second break opportunity of the match in Djokovic’s fourth service game, but he couldn’t capitalize.
Anderson then held and created another two more break opportunities, both to win the set, but Djokovic saved both and eventually won the game, emphatically pumping his fist and yelling at the crowd with the set tied at five games apiece. After another Anderson hold, Djokovic staved off three more breaks (and set) points to move to a tiebreak. In the set, Anderson converted zero of his six break chances.
The two finalists combined to win their first three service points, but Djokovic gained the upper hand on the fourth point with a terrific passing shot up the line. Djokovic then used terrific defense to force an error from Anderson, going up 4-1. At the changeover, Djokovic led 5-1.
After Djokovic sprayed one wide, Anderson sent one into the net, giving Djokovic four match points at 6-2. He needed just two to finish his fourth career Wimbledon title.
Both players came into the final following extenuating circumstances.
In the quarterfinal, Anderson, 32, came from two sets down to upset top-seeded Roger Federer in a lengthy five-set match. Then, in the semifinal, Anderson again went five sets, this time in a marathon match with John Isner.
The two men combined for the longest semifinal in Wimbledon history: six hours and 36 minutes. Anderson won the fifth set 26-24, but the match prompted debate over whether Wimbledon should switch to a fifth-set tiebreak.
