The singles champions at this year’s edition of Wimbledon showed tremendous strength in different fashions. For Novak Djokovic, winner of the gentlemen’s tournament, it was great intestinal fortitude and resilience against the apparent momentum of the great Roger Federer. For ladies’ champion Petra Kvitova, it was sheer power in overwhelming her opponent. 
That opponent in the final held on Saturday at the All-England Club was Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard—a 20-year-old with a bright future.
But her hopes dimmed and darkened rather quickly against the 24-year-old Kvitova. Using a devastatingly fast serve and a wicked forehand, the No. 6 seed cruised to a 6-3 win in the opening set of the best-of-three set match. Then, she dominated the second set and closed out the affair, 6-0, to claim her second Wimbledon title. The 2011 champion has a fantastic history in London, with a 26-5 career record (.839 winning percentage) on those grass courts.
While the loss for Bouchard may seem devastating on the surface, it’s apparent that her time of winning majors may be coming soon. Bouchard, a No. 13 seed at Wimbledon, used a pair of upsets to reach the finals—including a straight set triumph over third-seeded Simona Halep in the semis. The 2013 WTA Newcomer of the Year also was one of the last four in this year’s Australian Open and French Open.
Where Bouchard is heading, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have already been—and then some.
The two had combined for 23 major championships (Federer with 17 of those) heading into their meeting on Sunday for what was a final for the ages. Early on, the edge seemed to side towards younger and fresher Djokovic. The top seed on the men’s singles draw, however, was matched a determined Federer—aiming to add to his legendary status in the game of tennis and a record eight Wimbledon victory. The 32-year-old native of Switzerland, seeded No. 4 for this tournament, took a 7-6 win (9-7 in the tiebreaker) in the first set. Djokovic then took control—coming out victorious for the next two sets (6-4, 7-6 (7-4 tiebreaker)) and needing just one more for the crown.
It came to championship point in the fourth set. But Federer had an answer, rocketing an ace past his opponent and keeping the match alive. Federer used that momentum to win the fourth set—and the British crowd was on his side. Chants of his name, appreciative of the determination and guile he had shown, would deter most players.
That didn’t happen to Djokovic. The Serb rebounded, fending off break points in the fifth and deciding set and ultimately coming out with the victory in three hours and 56 minutes. Like Kvitova, it was a reprise of the 2011 final for Novak—who won that year but had become the subject of doubters after dropping his three previous major final appearances. Sunday’s win not only erased any notion to cracking under pressure, but it retained his status as the world’s No. 1 player.