How it unfolded
Federer, 37, beat Nadal in the semis and chased a ninth Wimbledon title; Djokovic, 32, defended his crown. They split the first two sets on tiebreaks; Federer took the fourth 6-4 to force a fifth. At 8-7 on his serve Federer reached 40-15 and double championship point; Djokovic saved the first with a return winner and the second when Federer missed a forehand, then broke back. At 12-12 the new final-set tiebreak rule applied for the first time at Wimbledon; Djokovic won it 7-3 in 4 hours 57 minutes — the longest singles final in Championships history. Federer led total points 218–204 and games 36–32 yet lost. The 12–12 tiebreak existed because of the Isner–Mahut 70–68 marathon (2010) and Anderson–Isner 26–24 semi (2018).
Why it still matters
Tennis scoring at its cruelest: the player who won more points and games lost, with two championship points on his own serve. It also debuted the rule ending unlimited final sets — and symbolized Djokovic's big-match edge over Federer and Nadal.