Novak Djokovic, Back on Top, Beats Kevin Anderson for a Fourth Wimbledon Title

WIMBLEDON, England — After more than two years without a Grand Slam title, Novak Djokovic reclaimed a central place in men’s tennis on Sunday by beating Kevin Anderson, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (3), to win Wimbledon for the fourth time.

Ousted by Sam Querrey in the third round here in 2016 and by pain in his right elbow in the fourth round in 2017, Djokovic made it to the finish line this year at the All England Club, even if he did so the hard way.

Djokovic, 31, defeated Anderson without getting a customary day of rest before the match. Anderson’s marathon victory over John Isner in the semifinals on Friday forced Djokovic to play his own marathon semifinalagainst Rafael Nadal, a match that lasted more than five hours and, because of a curfew, stretched over two days.

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Djokovic looked flushed and weary after closing out that emotional victory, 10-8 in the fifth set, on Saturday afternoon, and he had less than 24 hours to recover before facing Anderson, the No. 8 seed from South Africa, who had saved a match point before upsetting No. 1 seed Roger Federer in the quarterfinals.

Kevin Anderson was trying to become the first man from South Africa to win Wimbledon.CreditClive Brunskill/Getty Images

But Djokovic, whose conditioning and ability to bounce back were instrumental in his previous dominance of the men’s game, was able to prevail despite the 6-foot-8 Anderson’s huge serve and baseline power. Djokovic also won the Wimbledon title in 2011, 2014 and 2015.

Anderson, 32, had his own recovery to manage. His semifinal with Isner, which stretched to 26-24 in the fifth set and lasted 6 hours 36 minutes, was the second longest match in Grand Slam history and the longest played on Centre Court, which opened in 1922. But unlike Djokovic, he had all of Saturday to rest as he prepared for his first Wimbledon final.

It has been a breakthrough stretch for Anderson, who also reached the final at last year’s United States Open. But he keeps running into opposition from the so-called Big Four, losing to a resurgent Nadal in New York and now to a resurgent Djokovic at the All England Club.

Anderson, who lives in the United States and is married to an American, was attempting to become the first man from South Africa to win Wimbledon, but he had to settle for being the first South African male finalist here since Brian Norton in 1921.

By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/2uBevzF