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Djokovic seeks his fifth Wimbledon title, Federer his ninth
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer’s legendary rivalry gets another chapter on Sunday when they face off for the Wimbledon title. Both men have become synonymous with championship matches at The All England Club. At least one of them has made it to the final Sunday in all but two editions of The Championships since 2003.

“It’s the final of Wimbledon. This is the kind of match that I always dreamed of being part of as a young boy with the tennis racquet. This is what I worked for. I wanted to be in this position,” said Djokovic. “I have a chance to fight for a trophy. Regardless of who's across the net or what is happening, I'll definitely give it my all.”

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Top seed and defending champion Djokovic leads second seed Federer 25-22 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. They have the second-most prolific rivalry in the Open Era, only trailing Djokovic-Nadal (54 matches). Federer and Djokovic have squared off in 13 of the 14 most recent seasons on the ATP Tour, but the Serbian has gotten the upper hand lately, winning their past four matches. Djokovic also leads their grass-court series 2-1, prevailing in the 2014 and 2015 Wimbledon finals.

Their recent battles have still been highly competitive, though. Djokovic’s victory over Federer at the 2018 Rolex Paris Masters was named “Best Match Of 2018” by ATPTour.com.

Their familiarity with each other means there will be no secrets when they take to Centre Court. Djokovic knows what he must do to beat Federer, and vice-versa. It will come down to who can execute their game plan most effectively.

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“I think the moment you've played somebody more than 15 times, there's not that much more left out there. You know where the players go when it really matters,” said Federer. “I don't think there's much I need to do in terms of practice. This is like school: You're not going to read lots of books on the day of the test. You don't have the time. It’s quite clear the work was done way before.”

The two finalists carry different playing styles and personalities, but their paths to Sunday’s final have been similar. Federer and Djokovic each dropped two sets this fortnight, one in the first week and another in the second set of their respective semi-finals, Djokovic against Roberto Bautista Agut and Federer against Rafael Nadal. They’ve also hit more winners than unforced errors in all of their matches this fortnight.

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Federer and Djokovic’s dominance for well over a decade makes it easy to forget that they’re both at an age when many of their contemporaries have either slowed down or retired. The 32-year-old Djokovic is looking to win his fourth major title since turning 30, something that only Federer, Nadal and Rod Laver have accomplished in the Open Era. A win on Sunday would also make the Serbian the first man in the Open Era over age 30 to successfully defend a Wimbledon title.

But Djokovic knows that to make history, he must beat history. With eight Wimbledon titles to his name, Federer is considered by many to be greatest grass-court player of all time. The ways in which he gives the World No. 1 trouble are amplified even further on this surface.

“We all know how good he is anywhere, but especially here. This surface complements his game very much. He loves to play very fast. Takes away the time from his opponent. Just doesn't give you any of the same looks. He rushes you to everything,” said Djokovic. “For players like Nadal or myself that like to have a little more time, it's a constant pressure that you have to deal with.”

Meanwhile, Federer could become the oldest man (37 years, 340 days) in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title. He’s already made history this fortnight by becoming the first man to win 100 matches at a Grand Slam with his quarter-final victory over Kei Nishikori.

Most Wins By Grand Slam

Tournament Player Wins
Australian Open Roger Federer 97
Roland Garros Rafael Nadal 93
Wimbledon Roger Federer 101
US Open Jimmy Connors 98
Reaching his 12th Wimbledon final at age 37 is a mind-boggling achievement on its own. But with 20 major titles to his name already, Federer won’t be content with a runner-up finish. The Swiss believes he’s playing well enough for one last push against Djokovic.

“I know it's not over yet. There's no point to start partying tonight or getting too emotional, too happy about it, even though I am extremely happy,” said Federer. “If it was the end of the tournament, it would be very different right now. I'd be speaking very different, feeling very different.

“There is, unfortunately or fortunately, one more match. It's great on many levels. But I’ve got to put my head down and stay focused.”

Ahead of the 2019 final, look back on Roger & Novak's past Wimbledon clashes
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have combined to win 12 Wimbledon titles over the past 16 years. On Sunday, the two champions will meet again on Centre Court with another title on the line.

This will mark just the fourth FedEx Head2Head meeting between the Swiss and the Serbian at the All England Club, and also their first in four years. Federer won their first clash in the 2012 semi-finals en route to the title, and Djokovic claimed back-to-back triumphs in the 2014-15 finals.

Ahead of their final, ATPTour.com looks back on their three FedEx ATP Head2Head Wimbledon matchups.

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2012 Semi-final, Federer d. Djokovic 63 36 64 63
Under a closed roof, Roger Federer broke serve in the sixth game, and went onto clinch the 24-minute first set having committed just two unforced errors. Djokovic raised his game with tennis of the highest quality to seal the 30-minute second set.

The temperature gauge increased at 2-3, in the third set, when Djokovic weathered a storm, winning 23-and-25-stroke rallies in a dramatic eight-minute game. Federer survived his own wobble, but was able to win the set. The Swiss maintained his dominance in the fourth set, opening up a 3-0 lead, to book a place in his 24th major championship final.

“I thought when I missed my chance early on in the third I might pay for it dearly. Almost did towards the end of the third set when he had break points,” said Federer. “So I think overall the surface made the match play differently and potentially in my favour. I was able to be very aggressive, particularly once I did get into the third set where I thought we both played our very best. Now looking back, that was obviously the key to the match.”

The victory gave Federer a shot at reclaiming the World No. 1 ranking – which he did two days later after defeating Andy Murray to claim a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon title.

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2014 Final, London, Djokovic d. Federer 67(7) 64 76(4) 57 64
Djokovic and Federer staged yet another Grand Slam thriller, with the Serb overcoming a rollercoaster fourth set to claim his second Wimbledon title and seventh crown at the major level. Djokovic returned to World No. 1 with the win, embarking on his third stint atop the ATP Rankings.

Federer's resiliency was on full display in his ninth Wimbledon final, saving a championship point in the fourth set, while reeling off five consecutive games from 2-5 down. The momentum swung to his corner as he forced a deciding set, with the Centre Court faithful roaring in approval of the high-quality affair. Djokovic would not be denied, however, as the top seed converted his fourth break of serve for the victory after three hours and 56 minutes.

The 27-year-old Djokovic turned the tide in Grand Slam finals, having lost five of his past six coming into the Wimbledon final. He lifted the trophy at the All England Club for the second time, having previously triumphed in 2011 with victory over Nadal.

“Sincerely, this has been the best quality Grand Slam final that I ever been part of,” said Djokovic. “I've had a longest final against Nadal in the Australian Open 2012, but quality-wise from the first to last point, this is definitely the best match.”

Read Match Report

2015 Final, Djokovic d. Federer 76(1) 67(10) 64 63
For a second straight year in the Wimbledon final, Djokovic triumphed over seven-time champion Federer. He became the first player since Federer in 2007 to successfully defend his title at the All England Club.

Djokovic and Federer had advanced with straight-sets wins in their semi-final matches, respectively against Richard Gasquet and Andy Murray, and little separated the World No. 1 and No. 2 through the first two sets of the final. Djokovic saved two set points at 5-6 in the first set, then proceeded to win 14 of 15 points.

In a dramatic second set, Federer fought off seven set points – including six in the tie-break – before drawing level. Djokovic responded with a break early in the third set and needed one more break in the fourth to set him on his way to his 200th Grand Slam match win and ninth major title.

"I was aware coming onto the court, that Roger would play his best when it matters the most. He pushes you to limits," said Djokovic.

Read Match Report | Gallery: Novak's Road To Title

Top two seeds compete in their third Wimbledon final against each other
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will meet for the fourth time at Wimbledon when they take to Centre Court for Sunday’s final. This is the 48th match in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry and their first on grass since Djokovic prevailed in the 2015 final at The Championships.

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ATPTour.com looks at 15 of the stats you need to know ahead of Djokovic and Federer’s latest encounter:

At least one of Djokovic and Federer has reached the final in all but two editions of The Championships since 2003.
Djokovic has won his past four matches against Federer and eight of the past 10.
They have faced off in 13 of the 14 most recent seasons on the ATP Tour
Djokovic is competing in his 25th major final, Federer his 31st.
Their most recent clash at the 2018 Rolex Paris Masters, won by Djokovic in a third-set tie-break, was named “Best Match Of 2018” by ATPTour.com
Both men have won more matches here than any other Grand Slam (Djokovic 71-10, Federer 101-12).
Federer became the only player to win 100 matches at a Grand Slam with his quarter-final victory over Kei Nishikori.
Federer is making his 21st consecutive appearance at Wimbledon. He’s the only player from the draw in his debut appearance (1999) to still be active in singles.
At 37 years and 340 days, Federer will become the oldest man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title if he prevails.
Djokovic is looking to win his fourth major title since turning 30, which only Federer, Rafael Nadal and Rod Laver have accomplished.
The Serbian looks to become the first man in the Open Era over the age of 30 to successfully defend a Wimbledon title.
Djokovic has been aggressive on returns throughout the tournament, racking up 71 break points and converting on 34 (48%). He leads the tournament in return games won (34 of 89, 38%).
The 32-year-old has been efficient in conserving energy, spending 12 hours and 54 minutes on court to reach the semi-finals.
Djokovic has held serve in 86 of 92 service games (93%), saving 15 of 24 break points. The World No. 1 has only been broken twice in his past four matches.
Federer is competing in his 12th Wimbledon final, more than any other player in tournament history.
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Djokovic and Federer's Three FedEx ATP Head2Head Meetings At Wimbledon

Year Round Winner Score
2012 SF Roger Federer 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
2014 F Novak Djokovic 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4
2015 F Novak Djokovic 7-6(1), 6-7(10), 6-4, 6-3