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Novak Djokovic-Roger Federer epic joins list of Wimbledon's greatest finals

Novak Djokovic-Roger Federer epic joins list of Wimbledon's greatest finals
© Reuters
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer put on a show on Sunday.

Novak Djokovic claimed his fifth Wimbledon title after winning the longest men's final in history against Roger Federer.

It was the first singles match at SW19 to be decided by a final-set tie-break, the Serbian eventually claiming a 7-6 (5) 1-6 7-6 (4) 4-6 13-12 (3) victory in four hours and 57 minutes.

Here, PA takes a look at other memorable finals.

1980 – Bjorn Borg beat John McEnroe 1-6 7-5 6-3 6-7 (16) 8-6

Sweden's Bjorn Borg beat John McEnroe to claim a fifth successive Wimbledon
Sweden's Bjorn Borg beat John McEnroe to claim a fifth successive Wimbledon title (PA Archive)

With Borg going for his fifth successive Wimbledon crown, 21-year-old McEnroe raced into an early lead, but seemed to be out of juice when the Swede came steaming back at him claiming the next two sets with a minimum of fuss. McEnroe forced a mammoth tie-breaker in the fourth, in which the left-hander saved five match points before finally prevailing 18-16. A tiring McEnroe scrapped through set five, but Borg finally broke him in game 14 to seal a truly epic victory.

2001 – Goran Ivanisevic beat Pat Rafter 6-3 3-6 6-3 2-6 9-7

Goran Ivanisevic produced one of the best sporting stories when he won Wimbledon as a wild card
Goran Ivanisevic produced one of the best sporting stories when he won Wimbledon as a wild card (Tom Hevezi/PA)

The people's final was the first to begin on the third Monday after rain had disrupted the Championships and ended as one of the great sporting fairytales as two-time runner-up Ivanisevic, handed a wild card to get in the tournament, finally won it. In front of an unusually raucous Centre Court crowd the players rose to the occasion as the Croatian claimed an epic fifth to ensure he would not be remembered as one of the sport's nearly men.

2007: Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal 7-6 (7) 4-6 7-6 (3) 2-6 6-2

The Swiss made it five Wimbledon titles in a row with an epic win over Nadal
The Swiss made it five Wimbledon titles in a row with an epic win over Rafael Nadal (Rebecca Naden/PA)

Federer was made to work all the way to equal Borg's five straight titles at the All England Club against his main rival. The Swiss took the first and third sets on a tie-break, but Nadal sent it to a decider with two breaks in the fourth. Federer fended off break points in the fifth, but took his game to another level to claim his fifth crown.

2008: Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer 6-4 6-4 6-7 (5) 6-7 (8) 9-7

Nadal finally recorded his first Wimbledon title in a match that somehow topped even the previous year's drama. With rain delays prolonging the contest over the course of seven hours, Federer had to come back from two sets down to take it to a fifth via a pair of tie-breaks but the tables turned in Nadal's favour when he needed it the most. It took until 9-7 in the final set but a new Wimbledon champion was finally crowned after what McEnroe described as "the greatest match ever played".

2014 – Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer 6-7 (7) 6-4 7-6 (4) 5-7 6-4

Tennis – 2014 Wimbledon Championships – Day Fourteen – The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Novak Djokovic (left) consoles Federer after beating him in 2014

Federer had looked invincible on his way to the final but found himself 2-1 down and facing Championship point at 2-5 in the fourth. Somehow the Swiss broke serve twice to win the next five games and level the match, only for Djokovic to prevail in the decider with a single break.

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Switzerland's Roger Federer celebrates after winning his quarter final match against Japan's Kei Nishikori on July 10, 2019
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