Wimbledon 2015: Djokovic enjoys sweet taste of success

Novak Djokovic retained his Wimbledon title on Sunday by beating Roger Federer in four pulsating sets, and celebrated with his customary mouthful of grass before lifting the famous 18 inch Challenge Cup and pocketing a cheque for £1.8m.

It took the 28-year-old Serb just under three hours to claim his third All England title 7-6 (7-1) 6-7 (10-12) 6-4 6-3, and Djokovic said afterwards: "You work hard all your life, every day. You envisage yourself being on the Centre Court, holding this trophy. It's a very thrilling feeling."

Federer lived with the Serb for the first two sets, losing the first to a tie-break before levelling the second in similar fashion after several high-class rallies. But the 33-year-old Swiss began to look his age as the match wore on and Djokovic sensed his opponent tiring.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"I have to say it's a big challenge playing against Roger," Djokovic said later. "A lot of players of my generation have looked up to him and followed his lead."

Federer had stepped out on to the Centre Court hoping to become the first man to win eight Wimbledon singles' titles but his serve was ruthlessly targeted by the Serb and in the end he had no answer to Djokovic's power and athleticism. "I had my chances in the first set, I got lucky to win the second, had chances in the third," reflected Federer. "But he was better on the bigger points. He was rock solid, I didn't play badly myself. That's how it goes."

Asked if the defeat marked the end of his Wimbledon dream of winning an unprecedented eighth title, Federer replied: "I am still very hungry and motivated."

For Djokovic, the victory extended his Grand Slam tally to nine titles, moving him above the likes of Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl in the all-time list of major winners. He is also the first man to retain the Wimbledon title since Federer in 2007.

Djokovic celebrated his triumph by plucking some grass from Centre Court and eating it in front of 15,000 bemused spectators, something he first did after winning the title in 2011. "It's a little tradition, " he explained later. "As a kid, I was really dreaming of winning Wimbledon and as every child, you dream to do something crazy when you actually achieve it, if you achieve it. That was one of the things."

Admitting that the grass tasted "very, very good", Djokovic added: "I don't know what the groundskeepers have done, but they've done a great job."