Top 5 most exciting Wimbledon men's finals this century

There is a romance about Wimbledon that isn’t quite there for the rest of the year. Maybe, Gustavo Kuerten would disagree in disgust, but there is something in those blades of green grass, those immaculate whites, the traditions, the Rolex ads, the rainy whiffs, the Amritraj summaries. One can never be sure why the Wimbledon is so special and why it has made the toughest of men break down in tears. Maybe the other Opens would just look wistfully and say, ‘the grass is greener on this side of the fence’. No wonder then that this year’s Wimbledon is being broadcasted under the caption – ‘Where every day is day in history’.The last 15 editions have seen seven winners, one of whom, Roger Federer, arguably the most complete player ever at his peak, won it seven times and is bidding to become the first man to win the Singles title for an unprecedented eighth time. So, we will keep up with the tradition and recount some of the finest men’s Finals at the Wimbledon since the turn of the 21st century.

#5 2007 - Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal

The score-line read 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2.

By the end of the fourth set, either player could have won it, but Nadal had all the momentum. Nadal had lost to Roger the previous year in what was his first Wimbledon Final.

Federer was gunning to become only the second man after Bjorn Borg to win five Wimbledon titles in a row. Nadal's matches were interrupted by weather which meant he played many matches in a short time frame.

But eventually, the final gave discerning tennis enthusiasts what they had wanted – gumption, class, fight-back and elegance from one of the greatest tennis rivalries with two players who couldn’t be more different. Federer prevailed in the end almost against himself after letting Nadal breeze through in the fourth set, having gotten himself into a tangle over a line-call.

Hawkeye was introduced in the Final that year and who knows what could’ve been otherwise. Nadal had his chances, but he had to wait another year as Federer won his 13th Grand Slam title.

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#4 2014 - Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer

Roger Federer wasn’t winning too many titles,but he is one of the very few champions who managed to stay in contention.

The 3 hour 56 minute match tested every last ounce of the endurance and stamina of each player and the younger one survived, though many connoisseurs would swear that wasn’t Djoker’s best game ever.

He defeated Federer 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4. Djokovic couldn’t close it in the fourth set, after going ahead 2-1, the pressure becoming too much. The same could be said for Federer who had taken the first set in a tie-breaker but lost some fizz in the middle, experiencing the British heat. However, right through the game the defensive forte of Djokovic showed and it was Federer’s class that he even made it to the fifth set.

Djokovic, facing a downward spiral, turned it around midway of the fifth set after being faced with the adversity of a break point staring at him. But once he won the point, he was himself. Djokovic eventually won his seventh Major Title and second Wimbledon with this win, after previously beating Rafael Nadal for his first.

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#3 2001 - Goran Ivanisevic beat Patrick Rafter

Goran Ivanisevic demonstrated why we all love sport and why we all love tennis. Over the years, Wimbledon Finals have witnessed a lot of tears and heart-breaks. Here was a fairy-tale that would forever outshine the gloom.

Ivanisevic was always a crowd favourite. His thunderbolt aces were part of the reason. His antics were hilarious. He wore his heart on his sleeves. He lost the Wimbledon Final thrice, twice to Pete Sampras and once to Andre Agassi. In many ways, this was one of the finals where the aura was just as special as the actual game, or maybe even superseded it.

He had defeated Britain’s Tim Henman in the semi-finals with a sheer stroke of luck, when rain interrupted just when his game was in absolute shambles, Henman beating him 6-0 in the third set to go 2-1. Ivanisevic came from behind and took the next with a tie-break when the game resumed and won the fifth set to end Henman’s dream.

The Final was no short of drama either. Facing Pat Rafter, who was also the losing finalist the previous year, tha match was level at two sets apiece and the Croat was in serious trouble of throwing away all his opportunities in the fifth set, through double-faults.

Eventually, he won the match 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7 after more than three hours to become the only Wild Card entrant to win the Championships till date. Like the Croat confessed later, he finally made peace with himself and that trophy ensured he didn’t have to care for anything else for the rest of his life!

He also cheekily says, that would be the last time there will be a champion on Monday (due to rain delay) with the centre-court getting a roof the next year.

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#2 2009 - Roger Federer bt Andy Roddick

Exasperated and probably frustrated, Roddick had still not lost his sense of humour when he looked at Pete Sampras, at presentation time, overlooking the game from the Royal Box, and said he tried his best to stop Federer but couldn’t.

He was referring to Federer’s 15th Grand Slam title, overtaking Pete Sampras’ 14. The game which lasted just over four hours, half an hour short of the record set by the 2008 Final between Federer and Nadal, is the longest Final in terms of games at any of the Majors. The score-line read 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14.

The 30-game final set was the longest played at any of the Major Finals as well. The most stunning part of this epic final and perhaps the most heart-breaking bit for Roddick, who had lost twice in the Wimbledon Finals previously to the same man, was that he didn’t drop a single game until the last one.

The 77th game when Federer broke him for the first time in the match was the last game of the match. Great fight but on the big day, still didn’t prove to be enough against the great man!

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#1 2008 - Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer

It lasted 4 hours and 48 minutes, longest final in the history of Wimbledon. The match completed at 9:15 pm when there was hardly any light, having been interrupted multiple times before.

Nadal’s journey from being the King of Clay to reigning supreme on green is almost romantic, soaked in redemption, blood and sweat. 2005 to 2007 was an amazing phase in tennis where someone was standing up to the Emperor of the Lawns. Federer staved off Andy Roddick twice and then Nadal twice but eventually, his unquestionable dominance came to an end, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7.

It looked like Nadal will win it easily as he took the first two sets quickly. But, then two tie-breaker losses meant he had to exorcise his old demons yet again, facing Federer thirsting for a record sixth straight Wimbledon title in the fifth set. The title had eluded him twice before and the previous year, Nadal had the match in his grasp with break points in the final set. He couldn’t quite grasp it back then.

Federer saved Championship points to come back and win the set. At 2-2, Nadal hadn’t been broken once and yet faced the bitter prospect of a hat-trick of Wimbledon Final losses, something fate had never dealt out to anyone in the Open Era, although many had lost three non-consecutive finals. But, he survived eventually in a very long fifth set and won his first Wimbledon title, the one surface where he was doubtful of winning, paving the way for a Career Grand Slam later, proving that he could go beyond clay.

He also ended Federer’s 65 match winning streak on grass!

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