WIMBLEDON, England — Yes, Novak Djokovic stared down the deepest of holes in a championship match for the ages on Centre Court on Sunday, coming back after Roger Federer held two match points while serving for the title. And, yes, Djokovic did indeed emerge victorious, 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3), in the longest Wimbledon singles final, and the first to end in a fifth-set tiebreaker with the score tied at 12-12. [Read about how Novak Djokovic outlasted Roger Federer over nearly five hours.] But amid all the marveling about the tense moments and the miraculous shots, it shouldn’t be overlooked that the vast majority of Centre Court fans frothed for Federer from the first ball to the last. “Let’s go Roger!” and “C’mon, Roger, you can do it, Roger!” echoed so loudly and with such strident urgency that it is probably still ringing through the Wimbledon air.

Source: New York Times July 15, 2019 01:07 UTC