Sunday's Wimbledon men's final is a much bigger deal to Novak Djokovic than Rafael Nadal. Djokovic will become the No. 1 player in the world on Monday regardless of the outcome of Sunday's match, and he's had a record-setting year. But he's never beaten Nadal or Roger Federer in a final, and he can truly justify that No. 1 ranking with a victory Sunday.
Nadal, meanwhile, has a truckload of Grand Slam titles. The pressure is off him. Djokovic has to win to validate his ranking and his year. Sure, he beat Andy Murray in the Australian Open final, and he's won a lot of matches since then. But he was beaten by Federer in the French semifinals, and he was fortunate enough to avoid Federer at Wimbledon. He can truly position himself as the best player in the world with a victory Sunday. If he loses, doubts will continue to follow him. Does he truly belong in the rarefied air inhabited by Nadal and Federer? We'll learn on Sunday.
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