Top 5 Men’s Wimbledon Finals of the 21st Century

The grass-court season feels like it has barely started, and the first-round matches kick off on the 29^th.  I personally wouldn’t mind seeing this little grass-court ‘season’ extended by a few weeks.  Why not take away one of the clay-court Masters and elevate Queens to Masters status?  It would inject this period with a sense of jeopardy (it currently feels like a glorified hitting session).  But I digress.  To help get into the Wimbledon spirit, I have decided to rank my personal picks for best men’s finals of the 21^st century. 

2009- Roger Federer bt Andy Roddick (5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14)

A year after his soul-crushing defeat to nemesis Rafa Nadal, a reinvigorated Roger Federer came to SW19 with one goal in mind: surpass idol Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles.  But he met stubborn resistance in American servebot Andy Roddick, who Federer had defeated in back-to-back Wimbledon finals in 2004-2005.  Roddick looked a different player during these championships, sporting superior defensive rigidity and greater fitness levels.  This turned into an absorbing game of cat-and-mouse, with Roddick’s serve looking imperious for the better part of four and a half hours.  Federer had to hang tough and wait for his opportunity.  It came towards the end of the agonizing 30-game 5^th set, as Federer broke Roddick for the first time in the match to steer a course towards victory.  This match has been cited as a major inspiration for the shift towards final-set tiebreaks.   

2014- Novak Djokovic bt Roger Federer (6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4)

One for the purists, the 2014 final was one of the best examples of pure shot-making you are ever likely to see.  Djokovic called it the best-quality Grand Slam he had ever played and one look at the stats tells you everything you need to know.  The pair combined for a total of 143 winners to just 56 unforced errors (a +87 differential is frightening when you consider the stakes at play).  Federer showed admirable courage in the 4^th set, saving a championship point while trailing 5-2.  Cheered on by a rapt centre-court, Federer won five successive games to take the match into a decider.  But Djokovic was simply too consistent from the back of the court, wearing down the Swiss with his depth and determination.  This was a significant victory for Djokovic, who has lost his last three Grand Slam finals (the only time that has happened in his career).  The result gave him the impetus to become the juggernaut that he is today. 

2019- Novak Djokovic bt Roger Federer (7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 4-6, 13-12)

As a card-carrying Federer fanatic, this was painful to watch.  The Swiss master outperformed Djokovic in most key metrics, hitting more aces, winners and winning more total points than the Serb.  However, Djokovic reserved his best tennis for crucial moments, somehow denying Federer a 9^th Wimbledon crown.  This was a seesaw affair, with players exchanging sets before one of the most dramatic decisive sets one could imagine.  This match marked the first time in tennis history that a final was decided by a 5^th set tiebreak (which was triggered at 12-12 in the decider).  Iron-man Djokovic dominated the tiebreak, draining Federer’s lifeforce in the extended rallies.  But this clash will forever be remembered for Federer squandering two championship points when serving for the match at 8-7 in the decider.  It was a gut-wrenching late-career capitulation for a man who once owned this arena.  Clocking in at 4 hours and 57 minutes in length, this remains the longest final in Wimbledon history. 

2001- Goran Ivanisevic bt Pat Rafter (6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7)

Sure, this match didn’t feature the type of gasp-inspiring rallies that populate these other matches.  In fact, this felt like the death-rattle for the type of serve-and-volley tennis that had defined Wimbledon for so many years.  But you can’t deny the pure Shakesperean drama of it all.  Croat Goran Ivanisevic- a former three-time Wimbledon runner-up- appeared to be well past his best as he accepted his wildcard slot.  But he gathered early momentum during this topsy-turvy edition, harnessing the power of that massive serve to mitigate any issues with mobility.  John McEnroe lit a fire under Ivanisevic by claiming that he could never win the tournament with just one shot.  The final was an incredibly tense affair, with both players looking to get to the net and finish points as soon as possible.  But Ivanisevic would hang tough to persevere 9-7 in the 5^th, achieving something that is usually reserved for Hollywood scripts (hell, even Rocky didn’t win at the end of the first movie).  In the process, he became the lowest-ranked player (125^th) to win the Wimbledon title.  He also remains the only male wildcard to ever taste Grand Slam glory. 

2008- Rafael Nadal bt Roger Federer (6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7)

Widely regarded as one of the greatest matches in tennis history, this 4-hour, 48-minute slugfest represented the zenith of the famed Nadal-Federer rivalry.  Federer was hunting grass-court immortality as he looked to equal Bjorn Borg’s record of six straight Wimbledon titles.  Nadal had just destroyed Federer at Roland Garros but was still looking for the validation of his first non-clay slam.  Nadal took the early initiative in a match defined by rain interruptions, winning the first two sets to leave a highly pro-Federer crowd stunned.  The Swiss master called on all his powers of resolve to take it to a decider, saving two championship points in the 4^th set.  But Nadal’s relentless baseline consistency and mind-boggling topspin wore Federer down, and the Spaniard edged Federer 9-7 in the decider to herald a sea-change in men’s tennis.  Federer was visibly devastated, openly weeping in a way that suggested he knew that the tide had turned.  Federer would enjoy a marquee 2009 season, completing the Career Grand Slam after injury issues affected Nadal’s French Open bid.  But he would only win multiple slams in a year one more time from that moment on (2017).  For context, he has won three slams a year from 2004-2007.