Federer-Djokovic Wimbledon final will be an absolute showdown
On Saturday afternoon
Serena Williams became the oldest woman to ever win a Grand Slam title, capturing the crown in straight sets. Sunday, 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer will attempt to become the oldest man to do so. Both are 33 years old.
Williams defeated a 21-year-old who was making her major finals' debut. Federer will face a much more formidable foe: No. 1 Novak Djokovic, winner of this year's Australian Open and runner-up last month in Paris.
It's the dream ending for what has been a mediocre men's tournament, a rematch of last year's final in which Djokovic out-lasted Federer in five sets. It's the king of tennis versus the man who could potentially dethrone Federer before his career is through.
Federer has not won a title since winning Wimbledon in 2012, but he came awfully close here last year. And he's been playing his absolute best the past two weeks, only dropping one set thus far.
Djokovic seemed unstoppable this year, having dropped only one match enroute to that stunning French Open loss to Stan Wawrinka. In the past two weeks, his only real challenge came when he dropped the first two sets against Kevin Anderson. He fought back fiercely, a win that in hindsight helps him prepare for this final. The only issues for him will be the Federer-loving crowd and whether his shoulder pain flares up.
In majors, Djokovic holds two Wimbledon titles and eight overall. Federer has raised the trophy seven times at the All England Club and 17 times overall. On court they are much more evenly matched: Federer holds a 20-19 advantage overall, and they've split their last four meetings (excluding one walkover). They're 6-6 against each other in slams.
The match is expected to come down to tiebreaks and one or two crucial breaks. Each is a phenomenal server. If Federer can find the power he showed in his semifinal win over Andy Murray – 20 aces in three sets – Djokovic is in trouble. But the Serb holds a slight edge in his return game. He'll have to focus on that in order to win.
Should Federer prevail, it'll be the fourth time he and Williams have won in the same year, and the first time a 33-year-old man has been crowned Wimbledon champion.
______________
Danielle Elliot is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact her at delliot@yahoo-inc.com or find her on Twitter and Facebook.
