THE 'MARQUEE' CLASH

As Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal in a semi-final which deemed to be as good as the final itself, the stage is all set for him to take on the defending champion, Novak Djokovic at the All England Club final. The two have previously met on the same occasion in 2014 and 2015, with Djokovic triumphing over the Swiss Maestro in both the Wimbledon finals.

It's a record 12th Wimbledon final for Federer, winning eight of them and in fray for his record-extending ninth. He has been comfortable the whole tournament, finishing matches in 4 sets or less. Even his semi-final clash with Nadal, which some thought, would be reminiscent of their 2008 final battle, was finished in four sets by 7-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Unplayable serves, magical forehand and a knack for making unexpected shots at unexpected times, you could see Federer's mojo growing as the match progressed. It was amazing to see how well he recovered after a bad second set versus Nadal. He also became the first-ever player to win 100 matches at the same slam when he defeated Japan's Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals. Turning 38 in less than a month, he has aged like a fine wine which just keeps on getting better. Federer has not defeated Djokovic since 2015, it is a perfect opportunity to change the equation this Sunday and seek vengeance for his two Wimbledon finals defeat.

On the other hand, Novak Djokovic is on a dream run, this being his fourth final in the last five grand slams. He has been a dominant force this tournament, just dropping two sets en-route to the final. The last year's Wimbledon champion, having already won the Australia open, would be looking forward to winning his fifth Wimbledon title. The only time he appeared vulnerable was while facing Bautista Agut in the semi-finals. Though he ended the Spaniard's run 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, the second set showed how a lapse of concentration or slowing down can harm the Serbian's chances at winning consecutive titles at The Championships. The Serb would be hoping for a repeat of 2014 and 2015 finals where he got better of Federer rather comfortably.

An important part of the game for him would be to keep his head cool and in the game. He didn't take the majority crowd cheering for Bautista in the semi-finals during the second set well.

Judging by the current form of both players, Djokovic looks the favourite to clinch it this time with some pundits calling it for Djokovic in four. Though it won't come easy as he will be facing arguably the greatest player ever on grass.

No matter which way it goes, today's final will see one of the Big Three lifting the trophy yet again – making it 11 Grand Slams in a row for the stalwwarts.

The match will be telecast on

Star Sports Select 2 from

6:20 pm (IST) onwards