Tennis: Djokovic downs Federer, Kvitova beats Bouchard at Wimbledon

-Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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Once again the East Europeans have displayed their tennis talent at Wimbledon with Serb Novak Djokovic and Czech Petra Kvitova winning the male and female championships respectively.

As usual, the Serb Novak Djokovic plucked a blade of grass and put it in his mouth on July 06 to signal to the crowd at Wimbledon court that his victory over Roger Federer who had won the title  7 times,  tasted pretty good. Again, as usual, after almost four hours of mental torture, Novak Djokovic sank to his knees, crouched over the hallowed Wimbledon turf.

 
It was a victory he had been craving for three years. the Serb`s agony finally turned into ecstasy when Roger Federer whipped a backhand into the net to end one of the greatest finals seen at the All England Club. The 6-7(7) 6-4 7-6(4) 5-7 6-4 triumph elevated Djokovic to a double Wimbledon champion, while denying Federer a record eighth title. 

The triumph handed Djokovic a seventh grand slam title - surpassing the total won by his coach Boris Becker - and halted Federer`s bid to become the oldest men`s champion at the All England Club for more than half a century.



It was a contest in which Federer fired down 29 screaming aces, including four in one game, produced 75 winners, and won 180 points in total - just six fewer than the champion.  While Federer was disappointed at coming off second best in another five-set final thriller, six years after being beaten by Rafael Nadal in what is dubbed the `greatest match ever`, losing was not even an option for Djokovic. It was therefore little surprise that the man whose tennis had been rather wayward this past fortnight, brought out the heavy artillery on Sunday. "This has been the best quality grand slam final that I`ve ever been part of. Quality-wise from the first to last point, this is definitely the best match," Djokovic said following a performance that also lifted him to the top of the world rankings.

After Federer saved three nerve-jangling break points in the eighth game, Djokovic`s prayers were finally and thankfully answered two games later, allowing him to enjoy "a nice bite" of grass for the second time in four years. Holding his arms wide and he gestured skywards, perhaps questioning: "What more do I have to do to beat this man?" Federer loves the feeling of ball on racket, he loves creating magic - and that is exactly what his ageing limbs and battle-weary mind produced in the fourth set when he stormed back from 5-2 down. During the presentation ceremony, he told the Swiss directly: "I respect your career and everything you have done... thank you for letting me win today."

What should have led to a second serve from Federer had now turned into an ace, producing another twist in the gripping drama that had 15,000 people sitting on the edge of their seats and Djokovic tied up in knots. "This win has a special importance to me mentally. Because I managed to not just win against my opponent but win against myself as well and find that inner strength that got me the trophy today," said an emotional Djokovic, who had lost five of his previous six grand slam finals. "I could have easily lost my concentration in the fifth and just handed him the win. "It`s the most special grand slam final I`ve played. 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. "I already have seven. It`s not like I need another one. But it would have been awfully nice to have it," added the Swiss, who was consoled by Prince William and his wife the Duchess of Cambridge after walking off court a beaten man. "I needed this win a lot," added Djokovic, whose wedding with long-time girlfriend Jelena Ristic, has now turned into a double celebration. 

The hollering crowd, however, were ecstatic. As they rose to salute the man many call "a tennis super god", the Serb looked up to the heavens, holding his racket grip between pressed palms, praying for some divine intervention.

The sixth seed Petra Kvitova lifted her second women`s singles Wimbledon title after defeating Canadian 13th seed Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets in the final in London on July 05. Kvitova, who also won here in 2011, completely destroyed her opponent to come out victorious 6-3, 6-0 in only 55 minutes. This was, however, the first even Grand Slam final for Bouchard. The Canadian broke Kvitova once in the first set but the 24-year-old Czech reacted by breaking Bouchard thrice to easily bag the set in 32 minutes.

It was a complete one-way-show for Kvitova in the second set as she converted three of the four breakpoints she earned to route the set and match in her favor. The former champion`s net game totally worked for her as she pocketed 11 net points to two of Bouchard. Kvitova also had 28 winners in the match, remarkably 20 more than her opponent.

Both Djokovic and Kvitova had been performing baldy in recent times but with the 2014 Wimbledon titles their prestige has once again gone up.

With this win at Wimbledon, Djokovic has over taken Spaniard Rafael Nadal as world number one after two years.