Moments after it all happened, after the most breathtaking match of the year, Novak Djokovic, still breathless, still processing, was shuffled in front of a camera. He pinched his eyes, reddened and moist, as beads of sweat engulfed his face. “It's hard to pick the words” he said. “I'm just going through things, flashback the last 15 months, everything I've been through to get here, to get to the finals and win against the best player in the world, one of the longest matches I've ever played, over two days, I'm just overwhelmed.”

For 5 hours 15 minutes, split into two halves after the marathon serve battle of John Isner and Kevin Anderson condemned them to an 8pm start ahead of the 11pm curfew, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal overwhelmed themselves and the crowd in a match that seemed to morph into everything.

It started with Djokovic sprinting out of the blocks, stepping into his backhand as his returns kissed the baseline. After rolling to a set lead and a break point in the opening game of the second set, he sprayed a few forehands and Nadal set alight, roaring back to take the second set and push throughout the third.

As the 11pm curfew loomed, the third set played out on serve until the first stanza was decided in a third set tiebreak. From 5-3 down, Nadal threw in three stunning drop shots out of the blue that took Djokovic by such a surprise that he remained desperately rooted to the spot. Yet Djokovic simply hung on.

Throughout the battle, there were periods of long, grueling rallies, with both men pushing each other deep to their limits. There were strings of games where the serve was king and others where both man’s returns threatened to destroy them all. They approached the net and pounded from the baseline, using wicked angles to open up the court.

Perhaps what was most interesting was that it was a match that was partly familiar and one that was partly new. Nadal showcased all that he had added to his game in the two years since they played off clay, from the roaring success of his body serves to the wicked, thudding second serve returns he periodically uncorked. But Djokovic seemed to be chasing after the past, trying to rediscover the level that had eluded him for so long.

As Djokovic left the court, he spoke numerous times about the significance of his victory after his torrid 15 months. The number, first mentioned by him, was an interesting choice - his struggles can be chased back to the period surrounding his loss to Sam Querrey in Wimbledon 24 months ago, but 15 months ago, the Serb parted ways with his entire team and started afresh with a failed team that would include Andre Agassi and Radek Stepanek.

It made sense since many of his most recent decisions have seemed to signify an attempt to turn back the clock and return to the days of old. He re-hired Vajda and much of the rest of his team. While much of his down months were characterized by his attempts to become a meditating, mindful arbiter of geniality on and off the court, he finally seemed to embrace the rage that has always underlined his game.

On the court, throughout the week he has driven by rage in a way that was missing before. Against Kyle Edmund in the third round, Djokovic used the disdain of the home crowd and the comical injustice of a triple error from the umpire to spur him to victory, jutting out his chin and roaring to the world upon victory. Against Kei Nishikori, he was angered by the umpire warning him for jutting the grass with his racquet but ignoring Nishikori’s own anger. With every boo, he seemed to play even freer.

One month ago, Djokovic sat in the second press conference room at Roland Garros after his crushing quarter defeat to Marco Cecchinato and refused to move as the world’s press squeezed into the tiny room heated by the Serb’s boiling rage. When asked about the grass season, in all his anger he told them he didn’t know whether he would play in the grass season. He was overwhelmed again. This time was better.