An 18th Grand Slam title once more eluded Roger Federer, after he was defeated by the world No. 1 and Wimbledon defending champion Novak Djokovic on Sunday 7-6(1) 6-7(10) 6-4 6-3.

From the outset, there was never any doubt who the crowd was pulling for, roaring for every winner and groaning for every miss by the Swiss. The question of whether Federer could be as dominant with his serving as he had been in his defeat of Andy Murray certainly looked that way at the outset. Perhaps Djokovic seemed even a little passive by his recent standards.

When Federer broke first after a lackluster service game from Djokovic, maybe the crowd sensed history would be on his side, finally. Just as quickly, though, Djokovic would snap right back.

The quality of tennis was warming up nicely, and really it was a case of whose nerve would fail first – who would flinch at the vital second. A tiebreak dominated by Djokovic would seal the deal on the first set.

Federer started to inject a little more urgency into his shots, pushing the limits of what could be achieved on the lines as errors started to creep in more and more. He found the net certainly more often than he would like, while Djokovic was doing more slipping and sliding than a penguin on an ice-block. The second-set tiebreak ramped up the tension a notch. At first, it looked as though Djokovic would establish a commanding two-set lead, before an admirable fight-back from Federer brought the crowd to their collective feet.

Djokovic looked to be furious with himself and maybe even the capacity crowd who were so visibly against him. Maybe we all needed a little drop of rain that sent the players off for the briefest of moments, with Djokovic up a break.

At the resumption, Federer’s serve returned in force for the opening game. But danger was never far away for the Swiss. Djokovic took advantage of a loose game to close out the third set, and while more rain was imminent, it was looking as though the roof would not be needed.

It was Djokovic who broke once more at the start of the fourth set, and it was all it took for him to close out a solid performance, albeit with muted cheers from the crowd. It was noticeable that Federer did not acknowledge the crowd as the roof was closed ahead of the trophy presentation.

The time off court probably served Federer well to compose himself after the loss, and the crowd to their credit gave Djokovic the respect he deserved as the successfully defending champion.

“It was always going to be tough for both players to start the first set, second set, and third set. It's always a mental and physical challenge to keep going,” said Federer.

“We both had chances. I saved a couple of break points early, which I think was big for me to stay with him. Then I think I had chances myself maybe. Then he got the break on a forehand I should not miss.

He continued, “Some matches tend to be easier to digest. This one feels the case, just because of the end of it. It was awkward having to shut the roof.  You go take a shower. You come back for the ceremony. I was like, ‘give it to Novak, it's his moment. Okay, fine. Let's go take a shower, come back.’ So that was weird. I think that gave me a chance to also settle down and come back and have a much better idea of what actually happened out on court.”

While the Centre Court crowd’s heart may have been with Federer, they graciously gave Djokovic the recognition he rightly deserved, as he explained after the match.

“I think there is no reason not to be satisfied with what I have achieved. In contrary, I'm thrilled and very proud with all the success that I had so far in the career, everything I reached. If you would ask me as a 14-year-old back in Serbia trying to find my way that this is how I'm going to end up at 28, of course I would sign the deal and take it right away,” he told the press after the match.

“There were a couple of Grand Slam finals that I think I could have won. But, again, having said that, everything happens for a reason. I try to learn from every experience, especially the ones that don't end up victorious for me.  I'm going to keep going. I’m 28.  I feel good. I don't feel old.  I have hopefully many more years in front of me.  I'm going to try to push my own limits and see how far I can go with titles and with myself playing on this high level.”

He heads to New York now more confident having gotten over the disappointment of the one Grand Slam that eludes him. After all, three out of four wouldn’t be bad.