[1] This was the first time the top two seeds had met in a men's Grand Slam final since the 2014 French Open, which pitted Rafael Nadal (1) against Djokovic (2).

He was seeking a record eighth Wimbledon title, which would rank him above Pete Sampras, who won the tournament seven times.

He had reached the semi-final against Andy Murray losing just one set and completed all his previous rounds with less than ten hours spent on the court.

On the other half of the draw, Djokovic had barely survived after a scare of a fourth round elimination against Kevin Anderson whom he beat from two sets down.

Djokovic had also recently lost in the French Open final against Stan Wawrinka, and was considered to be vulnerable at times.