Djokovic breaks Federer four times, wins third Wimbledon title

LONDON, July 12 (UPI) -- Roger Federer, widely considered the greatest tennis player of all time, has to be wondering if he'll ever add another grand slam title to his trophy case.

For the second straight year, Novak Djokovic ended Federer's dream of an eighth Wimbledon title. This time, it only took the Serb four sets.

During the run to Sunday's final, most commentators agreed Federer looked the best he has on his beloved grass since he last took the All England Club title in 2012. But the serves that were aces or had forced weak returns from Federer's previous opponents were now within reach of Djokovic's powerful and long wingspan.

Federer, who took to the net much more frequently than during previous Wimbledon runs, stuck with his relatively new strategy, attempting to serve and volley several times. Of the 58 times Federer took to the net, 42 ended in his favor. But on the whole, Djokovic's returns and ground strokes were too powerful and too deep, limiting Roger's ability leave the baseline.

Though Federer came into Wimbledon as the higher seed, most pundits (like Vegas) had Djokovic as the favorite to win on Sunday. It was clear before and after the match that only the very best from Federer would be good enough to beat Djokovic. Though Federer was brilliant at times -- the two competitors offered a plethora of compelling rallies and unbelievable winners -- it was clear as the match wore on that he didn't have his best. Federer tallied 35 unforced errors to Djokovic's 16.

Federer was not bad. He simply wasn't good enough. Djokovic was too strong, too resilient. In addition to being potentially the greatest returner of all time, Djokovic may also be the most mentally tough tennis player in history -- turning what was once a weakness into his most important advantage.

"I would have loved to [have] won, but Novak was very good today," Federer said in a post-match interview. "I'm still very hungry and motivated to keep playing, and a match like this helps very much."

Even if Federer isn't thinking about the slimming odds of adding an 18th grand slam title, most tennis fans surely are. Federer may have another final run in him; but baring an injury, it's hard to imagine his late-career resurgence ever eluding the defenses of Djokovic's impenetrable game.