LONDON -- For most of the past five years, Novak Djokovic has been the best tennis player in the world. Yet in the crucible of Grand Slam events, judged by his superior standards, he has underachieved.
Since he won three of four majors in 2011, the 28-year-old Serb had reached 10 of 14 possible finals but won only four.
With a muscular 7-6 (1), 6-7 (10), 6-4, 6-3 defeat of Roger Federer on Sunday at Wimbledon, Djokovic confirmed his position as the world No. 1. He has now won two of the year's three majors and has a chance in New York to score another rare triple. If Djokovic had managed to beat Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final, Serena Williams wouldn't be the only one at the US Open with a chance to complete a calendar-year Slam.
Too good? "Yeah, absolutely," said Federer, who lost a Wimbledon final for only the third time. "I think Novak played not only great today, but the whole week."
Then Federer, humorously, added recent months and even years to his list.
"He was tough on the big points," he said of Djokovic. "I didn't play bad, so I can be very happy. So that's how it goes."
When it was over and he had maneuvered a scrambling Federer out of the way, Djokovic stroked a soft forehand into the open court. He exulted, pumping both of his arms vigorously on his way to congratulate Federer.
"It's probably one of the biggest challenges I've ever had, playing [Federer] here on this grass court," Djokovic said. "A lot of players from my generation followed his lead. I knew coming on the court that Roger's going to play like he always plays. He makes you push your limits. That was my approach in the back of my mind. Obviously, [it] added a little more pressure."
For the second straight year, the seven-time Wimbledon champion -- less than a month from his 34th birthday -- wasn't good enough in a final against Djokovic. Federer thrilled the wildly partisan crowd on Centre Court by saving six set points in a rollicking second-set tiebreaker, but ultimately the depth of Djokovic's groundstrokes and his startling quickness and defense undermined Federer's beloved, beautiful game.
Djokovic's subtle beauty is his command of geometry.
In the critical third set, he positioned himself closer to the baseline to apply pressure on the fading Federer. Djokovic struck the ball inside the baseline nearly half the time, as opposed to about 25 percent in the first two sets. Those sharper angles took time from Federer, who at times looked a half-step slow.
Their career series is now, appropriately, a 20-20 push.
In the wake of Federer and Rafael Nadal, who now seems to be in remission, Djokovic's excellence is sometimes taken for granted. Some historical context is in order:
• This was Djokovic's third Wimbledon title, which matches his coach, Boris Becker, and John McEnroe. He trails only Federer (seven), Pete Sampras (seven) and Bjorn Borg (five).
• It was Djokovic's ninth Grand Slam singles title, which breaks a tie with Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Fred Perry and Ken Rosewall to secure eighth place.
• It was his 52nd Wimbledon match victory, which moves him ahead of Borg.
There was a time in his career when Djokovic's mental toughness was openly questioned. These days, his mind is as conditioned as his finely tuned body.
In the fourth round, he wriggled out of a two-set hole against Kevin Anderson in a match that required two days. He weathered two set points against Federer with a pair of terrific serves before destroying him in the first-set tiebreaker and winning seven of eight points when it mattered most.
He saved two more break points in the fifth game of the second set and an effective set point in the magnificent 10th game. Djokovic won the eight-plus-minute, four-deuce game by breaking down Federer's backhand. True, Djokovic lost six set points in the second-set tiebreaker but came back to break Federer early in the third.
When the expected rain made an appearance and suspended the match for 20 minutes, Djokovic returned to the court and served out the set with remarkable composure. When he broke Federer in the fifth game of the fourth set, the match was over.
Federer, still the second-best player on the ATP World Tour, continues to astonish with his creativity and consistency. He hit a variety of lush, gorgeous shots, but he was playing a certifiably great player in his prime. Federer was trying to become the oldest Wimbledon champion in the Open Era, two years older than Arthur Ashe was when he won in 1975.
Three years ago, Federer won at the All England Club and extended his Grand Slam record to 17 singles titles. It was his record-tying seventh at Wimbledon and seemed to be an appropriate career bookend, a majestic echo of his first major triumph here in 2003.
In retrospect, this has begun to look like Pete Sampras' 2002 US Open victory, which eventually sent him into retirement. Federer, however, continues to play on. The day after Serena became the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam singles title, Federer was trying to become the oldest men's champion.
There were times in the fourth set when, quite frankly, he looked his age.
"I would have loved to [have] won, but Novak was very good today," Federer said. "I'm still very hungry and motivated to keep playing, and a match like this helps very much."
As a kid, Djokovic dreamed of winning Wimbledon.
"You envision yourself being in Centre Court holding the trophy," Djokovic said.
On his way to the net, he picked up some grass and put it in his mouth.
"It tasted very, very good this year," he said, complimenting the groundskeepers. "It's a little tradition, obviously. As a kid ... you dream of doing something crazy if you win. That was one of the things."