Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer for the men’s singles title at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships on Sunday.

Novak Djokovic Wins Wimbledon Final

Djokovic, 27, handed Federer, who has won more Wimbledon singles titles than anyone else in the tournament's history, a defeat in a hard-fought 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4 match. The Serbian tennis player seemed poised to defeat Federer in the fourth set when he led two sets to one and had a 5-2 lead, but let the set slip to the veteran, forcing the match into a fifth set. It was Federer’s eighth final appearance and his second Wimbledon finals loss.

The win at Wimbledon Sunday broke Djokovic’s finals losing streak. Since the 2012 French Open, he’s lost five of his last six finals matches, including his last three attempts. At last year’s Wimbledon, he was defeated by Great Britain’s Andy Murray, who lost this year in the quarterfinals. Rafael Nadal, who went out in the semifinals, beat him at this past year’s U.S. Open and French Open.

Sunday marked the 35th time that Djokovic and Federer, 32, have met on the tennis courts. Their all-time record against one another is 18-17, Federer.

“It was a great final, can’t believe I made it to five,” Federer told the Centre Court fans after the match. “It wasn’t looking good there for a while. I was hoping, who knows, it would maybe be enough.”

Djokovic, who thanked Federer for “letting” him win, said, "I don't know how I managed to do it. This is the tournament I always dreamed of winning."

Djokovic dedicated his win to his fiancée Jelena Ristic, the child they’re expecting soon and his late coach Jelena Gencic.

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