Kevin Anderson tried his hardest to upset Novak Djokovic in the men’s Wimbledon Final, but the Serbian wasn’t having any of that. No. 12 Djokovic effortlessly defeated No. 8 Anderson in three sets, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (3), capturing his fourth Wimbledon title and 13th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic, 31, didn’t waste any time getting off to a fast start, taking the first set in just 29 minutes:
Anderson came out of the gate looking nervous and stiff. During the early stages of this contest, his trainer massaged his bicep to loosen him up. And while the 32-year-old did have some moments in this much-anticipated match, Djokovic made you forget about those moments with his incredible footwork, composure, and serving skills.
Anderson’s footwork plagued him in the contest. There were times were he looked off-balance, causing him his share of unforced errors. So what does a seasoned veteran like Djokovic do? He continues to exploit that weakness by hitting the ball up the middle. It was a simple tactic, but it worked like a charm.
However, the South African made some noise during the third set. He finally loosened up, looked more confident, and took a surprising 5-4 lead. But Djokovic, being the cool costumer he is, regrouped, forced a tiebreak, and won the third set 7-6(3).
This was a masterful performance for Djokovic. He was in some stressful moments but managed to pull through. Anderson showed some fight and went down swinging. And with this huge win, Djokovic is further solidified as one of the greatest men’s tennis players of all time.