By Erik Gudris | Saturday, July 5, 2014

 

A look ahead to Sunday's Men's Final with Novak Djokovic seeking his second Wimbledon title and the No. 1 ranking while Roger Federer goes for a record eighth title.

Photo Credit: AFP

Once again, a Grand Slam final will feature two members of the often touted "Big Four". Yet the winner of Sunday's men's final may earn a lot more than just a coveted Wimbledon title.

Novak Djokovic v. Roger Federer
Head to Head: Federer leads 18 to 16

Djokovic and Federer made their way into the final with very different performances over the fortnight. While Federer has oft been described as playing "vintage" and "classic" tennis, Djokovic's own efforts have earned descriptions of "ragged", "dramatic" and "unsteady".

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It certainly has been a momentous two weeks for Djokovic. He underwent a brief injury fright when he fell during an early round match versus Gilles Simon. Then he struggled with his movement and traction on the grass in several matches including in his semifinal with Grigor Dimitrov. While Djokovic decided that new shoes was the answer, there's a lingering perception that perhaps Djokovic's own mental uncertainty was the real reason for his slip-ups.

Djokovic, once known as perhaps the sport's best frontrunner, has held leads only to watch them slip away. He's ultimately won every time, but it's a pattern he've very aware of going into the final.

"I'm working on it," Djokovic said after beating Dimitrov. "I identified the problem. I know what's going on. Sometimes it just happens. It happens not just because you play a bad game but sometimes your opponent plays well. It's important to, even though if you lose a set or two sets, you know, be able to bounce back and recover from that. I've done that, and that's a positive that I'm taking from these matches."

There's a palpable sense of urgency with Djokovic heading into this final. Despite being a steady presence in major finals of late, the Serbian hasn't won one since Melbourne 2013. In fact, Djokovic has been a runner-up five times in his last seven major finals. Add in the disappointment of losing in Paris just a month ago to Rafael Nadal and that's why a Wimbledon title here would put Djokovic back on track, not to mention back to No. 1 in the world. Another loss would only add to his growing frustration of "When am I'm going to win one of these things again?"

"I mean, losing three out of four last Grand Slam finals, it cannot be satisfying." Djokovic said on his recent record. "Of course. I don't want to sound like I'm not appreciating to play finals of Grand Slam. It's already a huge result. We cannot take that for granted. But, again, I know that I can win the title."

After he won Wimbledon in 2012, some wondered if Federer would ever return to a major final. A back injury Federer incurred during that title run plagued him for most of last season. While some were ready to write off Federer's career as over, the 17-time Grand Slam champion instead rebuilt his game and his body. A bigger racquet and a new partnership with Stefan Edberg has, along with a return to full health, invigorated Federer. Now he seeks a record eighth Wimbledon title.

Not that Federer didn't need some help reaching the Wimbledon final again. He got that when 19-year-old Nick Kyrgios of Australia outplayed Rafael Nadal thus preventing Federer from dealing with his own version of kryptonite. Federer helped his own cause by taking care of business efficiently throughout his matches. That included defeating his friend Stan Wawrinka and seeing off Milos Raonic in straight sets without dropping serve.

But now, Federer will have to deal with Djokovic. And he knows that won't be easy.

"There's not really a safe place you can, you know, play into. Like back in the day there was many guys where you just knew, Oh, this guy is a bit dodgy on the backhand. Let me play that and then build up the point from that," Federer said. "I think for me it's really important to stay aggressive against him. And especially here at Wimbledon it's more simple how we need to play against each other. It's not like on a slow court where you can maybe maneuver the other guy around so much. I think on grass it's a bit more straightforward and I think we're both aware of that."

"It would mean a lot mentally for me, Djokovic said on winning Wimbledon. "The key against him in the game, of course, is trying to not allow him to dictate too much because he likes to be very aggressive, he likes to come to the net."

Could this be Federer's last Wimbledon final? And will he dwell on that all? At age 32, he is now the third oldest Wimbledon men's finalist in the Open Era. A result either way will likely spur Federer onwards knowing that he still can find a way back into the ultimate round. But even he must know that his opportunities to get there will likely be less as the years roll on.

This certainly does feel like Federer's title to win, but only if he plays like he has the last two weeks. Yet Djokovic, despite all the stumbles and uncertainties he's endured, is right there too. While Federer will have to keep his level high throughout, Djokovic may take some comfort in knowing that even if things get turbulent underfoot and in his head, he knows he can still find a way to win.

One thing's for sure, a career defining final is on the cards for Sunday. At stake, not just the coveted Wimbledon title, but, for one, a chance to create even more tennis history and for, the other, an opportunity to jumpstart his legacy once again.