It took Novak Djokovic five minutes to break Kevin Anderson’s serve, but he could not break his admirable spirit over two hours and 19 minutes in a Wimbledon final memorable only for the South African’s dogged but doomed fightback. Anderson, troubled early in the match by a sore right elbow, was forced to endure one of the most gruelling afternoons of his career but Djokovic suffered too, swearing at the crowd as his frustrations consumed him before he secured his 13th grand slam title, his fourth here, winning 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (3). The sun-bathed Centre Court audience can hardly have imagined when they bought their tickets that they would not be seeing either or both of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal contest the final. Anderson beat Federer in an excellent quarter-final, Djokovic saw off Nadal over two days in the second semi-final. Shattered after surviving six hours and 35 minutes against John Isner in the first semi-final on Friday, Anderson – the 2017 US Open runner-up – refused to surrender in his second major final and dug deep to make a fight of it in the third set, although it was still a poor spectacle. After last year’s final, when Marin Cilic’s blistered feet did for him against Federer, the closing Sunday needed something special, and this was not it. The longest rally of the match lasted 15 shots, as Anderson strove to hold serve at 0-2 in the second set. There were the usual sympathetic cheers when he managed it, but pointlessness and inevitability hung heavily in the suffocating air. Of the 950 points he had served for in the championships, Anderson, a serving behemoth and decent athlete, chose to remain on the baseline for 920 of them. That is either unshakable faith in his ability to hit opponents off the court, tactical ineptitude, exhaustion, or a combination of all three. Not once in the first hour of this match did he come in behind his serve. Neither did Djokovic – but he had no need to; he won through with patience rather than inspiration. After an hour and 10 minutes, Anderson had the crowd cheering him for all the right reasons when he forced his first break point of the final, but he could not convert and two minutes later the second set was gone, too. Novak Djokovic stretches to return the ball. The Serb had the physical edge on his opponent after Anderson’s marathon semi-final. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images When he went ahead for the first time in the match after an hour and 20 minutes by holding serve at the start of the third, Anderson surpassed Federer’s total of four games in his embarrassing French Open final loss against Nadal in 2008. That, though, was the Spaniard in his pomp on clay against a rival who did well to reach the final. The same could be said for Anderson, of course, who showed fortitude in trying circumstances, his body drained but his spirit still ticking. An hour and 44 minutes into the struggle, he got his second break point, at 4-3 in the third, and again Djokovic held. Ten minutes later, Djokovic, whose concentration had plainly lapsed, gifted him a set point with a sloppy backhand. When he saved, he turned to the crowd, mouth only half-covered, and said: “Shut the fuck up!” It was audible to those courtside, and obvious to lip-readers – not his finest moment. Anderson grabbed another set point as Djokovic threatened to implode, but the Serb, angry and determined, fought to deuce and levelled at 5-5. It was the most tense and engaging passage of play all afternoon. When the Guardian asked Djokovic last week if ranting and raving on court helped or hindered him, he replied, “It depends. Sometimes it fires you up, so … Sometimes that’s what you need to be more alert on the court.” Anderson certainly had Djokovic’s attention as the Serb went two points down when serving to stay in the set, only an hour or so after looking like wrapping it up. But again, Djokovic found something when he needed it, surviving three set points and three deuce points to force the tie-break with his sixth ace. Anderson came to the final with 182 aces on his log – 22 behind Isner – and Djokovic had 70. The trailing underdog also had an edge in 2018 tie-breaks, having won 21 out of 34 compared with Djokovic’s six from 14. The odds were with Anderson. But soon Djokovic had four championship points; Anderson saved one with a mid-court smash, but could do little about his opponent’s big serve down the middle and the ordeal was over. Djokovic stood near the net, screamed to the heavens and bent down to pinch a mouthful of the sacred turf. The crowd he had regarded as hostile for most of the final, rose to greet him, perhaps not as warmly as they would have embraced Anderson in the event he had conjured up the most unlikely of wins, but good enough to calm the winner’s temper. Sign up to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks. He is the most underrated of the Big Four, and the only one to get to the final Sunday this time. Federer, Nadal, Andy Murray and Djokovic might not share the Wimbledon stage again, given the ravages of time and injury, but the Serb will probably not mind that. He is one of the game’s great survivors and, when he needed to, he found his inner beast again on Sunday. He is back in the top 10, rising from No 21 in the world, and is getting back to something like his best as his longtime rivals and young contenders struggle, still, to assert themselves. Anderson moves up to five in the world and continues to surprise everyone. In a match he might have lost an hour before the World Cup final in Moscow had even started, he very nearly made it to half-time.<doc-sep>Novak Djokovic has won his first Grand Slam title since the 2016 French Open on Sunday. Djokovic picked up his fourth Wimbledon singles title with a dominant victory over Kevin Anderson in the final. This is a big deal for Djokovic, who has been in a general slump since that win in France. He’s a player who, when he isn’t winning, he completely loses himself. But it was all him on Sunday, besting Anderson in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(3). The big story for both players going into the match was just how much time they spent on the court in their previous two matches, but Anderson had the worst of it, with lengthy fifth sets against Roger Federer and John Isner combining with general wear and tear to make for a player that simply looked tired from the onset. Djokovic, one of the best returners in the game, handled Anderson, one of the best servers in the game, and frequently kept him on his back foot while covering the entire court. The first set saw Anderson struggle to keep up with Djokovic’s incredible returning ability, and he was working with his trainer on his elbow fairly early on in the match. Djokovic broke Anderson to start the match, and was quickly up by two breaks before taking the first set at 6-2. In the second, it was more of the same and wound up ending with the same score as the first. Djokovic broke when he needed to, and Anderson couldn’t convert on his lone break point attempt, giving Djokovic a two-set lead. The third was a lot different in that Anderson found some rhythm on his serve and Djokovic started to struggle getting his returns in. Anderson rode multiple aces to hold throughout the set, and it went to a tiebreak, where Djokovic took back over and sealed the victory. Going into the final, Djokovic, the 12th seed, had a run through Wimbledon that included wins over Tennys Sandgren, Horacio Zeballos, Kyle Edmund, Karen Khachanov, Kei Nishikori and Rafael Nadal. Anderson, the eighth seed, bested Norbert Gombos, Andreas Seppi, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Gael Monfils, Roger Federer and John Isner, all in that order. Federer and Nadal were the favorites, but the former fell in the quarterfinals and the latter didn’t make it past the semifinals. Many were hoping for a repeat of the legendary Federer-Nadal 2008 Wimbledon final, a decade later, but the final four was made up of three power players who were all finding success on the grass courts. Below, you can see the live blog from Sunday’s final in reverse order. Third Set (Djokovic 2-0), Game 13 (Tiebreak): Djokovic 7, Anderson 6 Anderson nails a great cross-court forehand winner to hold the first serve of the tiebreak. Then it’s 1-1 when Djokovic does something very similar. Anderson with an unforced error, and it’s 2-1 Djokovic. Anderson serve is good, but Djokovic handles it, and goes up with a forehand winner. Anderson has a backhand volley go too far and Djokovic goes up 4-1. Serving now, Djokovic forces another error for a 5-1 lead. An unforced error on the backhand from Djokovic gets it to 5-2. Forced error from Anderson, then a smash winner for Anderson and it’s 6-3. Championship point No. 2 for Djokovic, who is serving. He gets it! Djokovic has won the tiebreak and by extension, the championship! Third Set (Djokovic 2-0), Game 12: Anderson 6, Djokovic 6 A couple errors from Djokovic and, suddenly, Anderson has a double set point attempt! The first is saved with a strong serve that Anderson hits into the net. Djokovic sends him stumbling with a brutal forehand winner to get to deuce. A longer rally leads to a Djokovic forced error, and Anderson has set point No. 5. A big serve from Djokovic and Anderson hits it long. Advantage Djokovic after a forced error, but deuce again after another Anderson point. Anderson gets too aggressive on the next point, and comes to the net anticipating a straight shot, but Djokovic sneaks it past him down the other line. Then Djokovic wins the game with an ace, sending it to a tiebreak. Third Set (Djokovic 2-0), Game 11: Anderson 6, Djokovic 5 Ace for Anderson to start, and then three more hard serves that Djokovic can’t get ahead of later, it’s an easy hold for Anderson. Third Set (Djokovic 2-0), Game 10: Anderson 5, Djokovic 5 Djokovic with a double fault of his own, but he’s out to a 30-15 lead after two strong serves result in net balls for Anderson. Then it’s 30-all when Anderson forces a backhand error. A double fault from Djokovic, and Anderson has a set point attempt! He doesn’t get it, with Djokovic hitting a huge forehand, followed by a slick volley. Advantage Anderson after Djokovic has another double fault. But it’s back to deuce after another hard Djokovic serve. Anderson rips a forehand down the line and it’s just wide. He challenges, but loses it. Advantage Djokovic. Djokovic holds with an Anderson forced error! Third Set (Djokovic 2-0), Game 9: Anderson 5, Djokovic 4 Hard serve from Anderson, and Djokovic can’t handle it. But it’s tied up after he double faults. Then an ace from Anderson to go up 30-15. Then another one. A beautiful backhand volley winner from Anderson allows him to hold again. Third Set (Djokovic 2-0), Game 8: Anderson 4, Djokovic 4 Quick, hard return from Anderson on Djokovic’s serve gives him a quick lead. Djokovic responds with an ace. Then Anderson hits a forehand into the net, before hitting a forehand winner right on the line. It was called out, but he won a challenge. He then hits a backhand winner, and has a break point attempt, but Djokovic responds and gets the advantage with a slick volley. Djokovic holds with a heavy serve that Anderson returns into the net. Third Set (Djokovic 2-0), Game 7: Anderson 4, Djokovic 3 After a quick ace, Anderson wins a 17-shot rally, the longest of the match. Then he serves up another ace on his second serve.<doc-sep>Last updated on .From the section Tennis Britain's Jamie Murray fell short in his bid to retain the Wimbledon mixed doubles title as he and Belarusian partner Victoria Azarenka were beaten by Alexander Peya and Nicole Melichar. Austrian Peya and American Melichar, the 11th seeds, won 7-6 (7-1) 6-3. Murray, who won last year with now retired Swiss Martina Hingis, paired up at the last minute with former singles number one Azarenka. They saved match point at 5-2 in the second set but lost in the next game. "I didn't really return well enough, didn't feel I served that good either," Murray, 32, said. "It's been awesome, we earned it getting to the final. It has been a lot of fun to play with Vika." The warning signs were there for Murray and Azarenka in the seventh game of the first set on the Belarusian's serve, which went to seven deuces before they held on, having fended off two break points. Peya and Melichar dominated their service games and whizzed through the tie-break, winning it when Murray double-faulted. Murray and Azarenka missed three chances to break in the first game of the second set and were then broken in the next game as their opponents looked increasingly confident and carried their momentum on to victory. Alexander Peya and Nicole Melichar beat Jamie Murray and Victoria Azarenka in one hour and 28 minutes Scot Murray had initially chosen to miss the mixed event this year to focus on the men's doubles to protect his sore knees. But the opportunity to partner two-time Australian Open singles champion Azarenka, 28, persuaded him to take part. For Azarenka, who has not played as much tennis as she has wanted because of a custody battle over her 18-month-old son, it has given her extra court time after defeat in the second round of the women's singles. "It's been a great two weeks. We came up a little short but we've produced great entertaining tennis," said Azarenka, whose shoe had her son Leo's name on it along with a heart. "It's been important for me to play in those situations where the momentum changes a lot of time and figure out a way." The pair have not ruled out teaming up again for mixed doubles in the future.<doc-sep>Last updated on .From the section Tennis Top seed Tseng Chun-hsin beat Jack Draper in two hours and six minutes on Court One Wimbledon 2018 on the BBC Venue: All England Club, Wimbledon Dates: 2-15 July Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, Connected TVs and the BBC Sport website and app; Live Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra commentary; Text commentary online. Britain's Jack Draper lost to Taiwanese top seed Tseng Chun-hsin in a gripping boys' singles final at Wimbledon. Draper, hoping to become the first British boys' champion since 1962, was beaten 6-1 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 by fellow 16-year-old Tseng. Watched by a packed Court One, who were vocal in support for the young Briton, Draper gave himself hope by taking the second set but was let down by a huge 42 unforced errors. Tseng sealed victory with an ace. Previous winners of the boys' title include 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, and while there are plenty of big names who never won a junior Slam, on this year's form Tseng could be a player to watch in the future. A winner at this year's junior French Open and runner-up at January's event at the Australian Open, Tseng had not dropped a set in his previous five rounds here. After the first set it looked like it was going to be straightforward for him before Surrey-born Draper staged an impressive fightback to take the second set. But Draper's wayward shots, as well as flashes of temper - he had to swap racquets after smashing one into the grass - were costly against the calm Tseng. The left-hander handed match point to the Taiwanese when he missed a straightforward volley at the net, lying on the grass in disbelief, before Tseng wrapped up the title with his ninth ace of the match.<doc-sep>
Last updated on .From the section Tennis Wimbledon 2018 on the BBC Venue: All England Club, Wimbledon Dates: 2-15 July Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, Connected TVs and the BBC Sport website and app; Live Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra commentary; Text commentary online. Novak Djokovic earned his first Grand Slam title in more than two years by beating Kevin Anderson to win his fourth Wimbledon championship. Djokovic, seeded 12th, won 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-3) to claim a 13th Slam - his first major since the 2016 French Open. The Serb, 31, quickly took control to win the opening set in 29 minutes, breaking twice more in the second set. Djokovic saw off five set points in an even third set before dominating the tie-break to seal victory. He dropped to his haunches just inside the baseline as Centre Court rose to acclaim the champion, hugging South African Anderson at the net before skipping over towards his box and celebrating wildly in front of his coaching team and wife Jelena. "I had many moments of doubt, I didn't know if could come back to this level to compete," said Djokovic, who also won the Wimbledon title in 2011, 2014 and 2015. "There is no better place to make a comeback, it's a sacred place for the world of tennis, it's very special." He is now in outright fourth place on the all-time list of Grand Slam men's singles titles, moving clear of Roy Emerson and closing the gap on Roger Federer (20), Rafael Nadal (17) and Pete Sampras (14). The former world number one will move back into the top 10 when the latest rankings are released on Monday. It is his first title since winning Eastbourne last year. Djokovic back to his Slam-winning best Djokovic dominated the men's game earlier this decade, holding the number one ranking for 223 weeks and completing a career Grand Slam when he claimed the title at Roland Garros two years ago. Then, his cloak of invincibility began to slip. After losing to Sam Querrey in the third round of Wimbledon in 2016, Djokovic alluded to difficulties in his personal life and his form subsequently tailed off. Fitness also became an issue, taking two spells away from the ATP Tour because of an elbow injury, leading to him dropping out of the world's top 20 earlier this year for the first time since 2006. Now he is back among the world's elite after a wonderful Wimbledon. Djokovic broke twice in each of the opening two sets, dismantling 6ft 8in Anderson's service game and grinding him down in the rallies. Anderson rarely ventured forward and offered little variation - until the third set at least - but Djokovic nullified the increased threat to win in two hours and 18 minutes. Slow start for Anderson after marathon match While Djokovic's troubles have been well documented, eighth seed Anderson has enjoyed his own renaissance in the past 12 months. The 32-year-old cracked the world's top 10 for the first time towards the end of 2015, but faced a catalogue of injury problems during 2016 and dropped towards the foot of the top 100 as a result. However, he has battled back to reach two Grand Slam finals and a top-five ranking over the past 18 months. While reaching last year's US Open final showed he possesses an all-round game, Anderson's biggest weapon remains his serve - which he lost in the opening game against Djokovic with a double fault on break point. Inspired to play tennis? Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide. Anderson struggled to find his rhythm and movement in a slow start, unsurprising after spending almost 11 hours on court in his previous two matches, and lost serve again in the fifth game. While Roger Federer and John Isner eventually succumbed in those marathon quarter-final and semi-final matches, Djokovic was always going to be a tougher opponent to crack with the Serb regarded by many as the best returner in the game's history. Of course, Djokovic also had a lengthy semi-final against Rafael Nadal but he did not look like he had returned to Centre Court without the benefit of a day off. After taking the opener, Djokovic continued to wear down Anderson and, helped by some unforced errors from the South African's racquet, broke again in the first game of the second set.