2015 Wimbledon Championship Match Picks – Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic: For the second year in a row, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will meet in the championship match at Wimbledon. Djokovic won a five-set battle last year to claim his second title at the All England Club. Of course, Federer has won here seven times, and the most recent of his record-setting 17 major titles came at Wimbledon. Heading into Sunday’s match, Federer holds a narrow 20-19 lead in the series, and the two have an even 6-6 record in major tournaments, though Djokovic does hold a 6-4 edge in championship matches.
Djokovic got a serious scare in the fourth round, dropping the first two sets before rallying to win. His path to the title match has been easy otherwise, and he didn’t lose a set aside from the fourth round. Federer has been even more impressive, dropping just a single set and simply overwhelming third-seeded Andy Murray in straight sets in the semifinals.
Federer Wins If:
For Federer to capture his eighth Wimbledon crown, he needs to come out of the gate strong and win at least the first set in relatively quick fashion. The last thing he wants to do is get into another marathon match with a player that thrives on wearing out opponents. He will also need to continue to serve at a high level as he has throughout the tournament, and if he can consistently hit his first serve, he will be in great position to dictate points. Perhaps most importantly, he needs to capitalize on break point opportunities. Even if he constantly holds serve, Federer will still be left in a situation where every set goes to a tiebreaker if he can’t force a few breaks, and the lengthy sets will play straight into the hands of Djokovic. If Federer wins, look for it to be in four sets.
Djokovic Wins If:
For Djokovic to win the match, he needs to use his power advantage to both tire out Federer and force him into uncomfortable positions in order to disrupt his rhythm and ball placement. Even if Djokovic loses the first set, he will still be in good position if he can force Federer to have to win a tough, lengthy set as he did in last year’s match. Similarly, Djokovic needs to make sure Federer has to work during his service games. Win or lose, Djokovic can’t let Federer breeze through his service games like Murray did in the previous round. They call Federer “The Maestro” for his ability to control the action with beautiful footwork and ball placement, but Djokovic doesn’t need to match his finesse and skill if he can turn this match into a grueling, last-man-standing showdown. If the match goes five sets, look for Djokovic to be the one standing tall.
Bottom Line:
Last year’s title match was a back-and-forth affair, with Federer taking the first set. Djokovic appeared to steal the momentum by taking the next two sets, but Federer was able to force a fifth set before eventually falling. Federer is probably playing better heading into this year’s match, but that doesn’t change the fact that Djokovic still has the power and endurance to eventually wear him down over the course of a long match. Federer just didn’t have quite enough to put Djokovic away in 2014, and a year later and a year old, he still won’t be able to get over the hump against the current best player in the world.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic Win in 5 Sets
Get the latest Wimbledon Odds on NSAwins.com daily.