Now a 13-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic won his fourth Wimbledon title on Sunday to legitimize his 2018 comeback from a troubling elbow injury. A 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 final victory over South Africa’s Kevin Anderson earned him his first Grand Slam title since the 2016 French Open, but it was his five-hour, 15-minute semifinal against Rafael Nadal that will live longest in the memory.
Played at a breathtaking level over the course of two days, the marathon match brought out a vintage Djokovic performance in a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 10-8 result. As was the case so often in the past, the Serb was at his best when it mattered most, winning the crucial third-set tiebreak, 11-9, and saving five break points in the fifth set to deny Nadal an opportunity to serve for the match.
Here’s more on the resurgent Serb.
The Novak Djokovic File
Age: 31
Birthplace: Belgrade, Serbia
Current Rank: 10
Career-High Rank: 1
Best US Open Finish: Champion (2011, 2015)
The Baseline
- Djokovic’s 2017 season ended with a Wimbledon quarterfinal loss when he retired in the second set of his match against Tomas Berdych due to an elbow injury. He made his ATP return at this year’s Australian Open, where his fourth-round run was ended by Hyeon Chung in straight sets. He underwent elbow surgery soon after in an effort to make a full recovery.
- After a brief hiatus, Djokovic competed at Indian Wells in March but lost in his opening match. He once again failed to register a win at the Miami Masters later in the month, but by mid-May, he began to show signs of life. After being unable to get beyond the round of 16 in any of the six 2018 events he entered to that point, a semifinal run at the Rome Masters provided hope with Roland Garros around the corner. A quarterfinal appearance at the French Open ended his clay-court swing on a positive note, and his form continued to improve on the grass courts with a run to the final of the Fever Tree Championships in London.
- As seeds fell all around him throughout a wild first week at Wimbledon, Djokovic quietly plotted his course into the semifinals with a slew of straightforward wins. He dropped just two sets in his first five matches – one to Kyle Edmund in the third round and the other to Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals. Seeded 12th by the All England Club, Djokovic stood at No. 21 in the ATP World Rankings heading into Wimbledon but has now entered the Top 10 for the first time in 2018.
- After struggling through 2017 and being forced to watch Nadal and Roger Federer dominate the ATP World Tour, Djokovic can now look forward to battling his rivals after recapturing the form that propelled him to four year-end No. 1 finishes. Having missed out on the 2017 US Open, the Serb will be looking to make up for lost time this summer, as he hunts his third US Open trophy.
They Said It!
"There were several moments where I was frustrated and questioning whether I can get back to the desired level or not. But that makes this whole journey even more special for me." – Djokovic said of his injury struggles, speaking at his post-final Wimbledon press conference.
