Wimbledon 2015: Men's Final Start Time, Schedule, Prediction and Prize Money

There are few sporting venues in the world that boast quite as much pageantry as the Centre Court at Wimbledon on Men’s Final day. But with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, the two top players in the world, scheduled to battle it out for the most coveted title in the sport, the occasion feels that little bit more special.

Indeed, both men were excellent in their semi-final matches, overcoming awkward opposition with purpose and panache. If they can scale those heights again in the SW19 showpiece, we should be in for another thrilling tussle between these two illustrious champions.

A year ago these two met in this final, with Novak emerging victorious in a five-set thriller. Here are all the key details you need ahead of this one, a reminder of what prize money the players will be taking home and a rundown of the two men set to light up Centre Court on Sunday.

Start Time: 2 p.m. BST (9 a.m. ET)

Prize Money: £1,880,000 (Winner), £940,000 (Runner-up)

Details courtesy of the tournament's official website.

Djokovic Return Key Against Federer Serve

Pavel Golovkin/Associated Press

After recovering from two sets down against Kevin Anderson in the last 16 to progress, Djokovic was looking a little vulnerable in defence of his title. But the top seed has put on clinics in the two matches since, easily dispatching of Marin Cilic in the quarters and then Richard Gasquet in the semi-finals.

Not everyone was overly impressed with the manner in which the Serb performed, though, including former Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick, per BBC Tennis:

It’s certainly been functional rather than fluid for Djokovic to this point. Sometimes he’s struggled to dictate from the baseline with quite as much swagger, but the manner in which the reigning champion scraps to keep himself in rallies is simply remarkable.

Pavel Golovkin/Associated Press

His return of serve has been impeccable too, and you suspect it will need to be again against Federer, who was outstanding against Andy Murray in his semi-final win.

The Swiss, who is chasing what’d be an eighth Wimbledon crown, thinks this facet of the match will be key, too, per Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times:

While the silky skills of the veteran make him one of the most aesthetic sights in sport, his serve has always been a hugely underrated weapon in his vast arsenal of talents. On Friday, Murray, who is arguably the best returner in the world, was simply unable to cope with the pace, accuracy and variation used by Federer with the ball in hand.

Pavel Golovkin/Associated Press

As noted here by ESPN Stats & Info, even for a player as determined as Djokovic, getting the better of Federer’s serve is going to be a major task:

It’s something the Swiss needs to preserve as he approaches the twilight of his career and he’ll be hoping to keep points short against an unrelentingly energetic Djokovic. Encouragingly for Federer, in his column for BBC Sport, Murray admitted it was the best he’d ever seen the 33-year-old serve:

"

Roger Federer has never served better against me than he did in Friday's match on Centre Court, and I hope he never does it again.

It was the 24th time we've played each other, and in our last match at the O2 in November I only won one game, but even then it wasn't like I was getting aced off the court and couldn't touch the ball.

At one point on Friday I looked up at the scoreboard and it was 3-2 and he'd served nine aces, and I thought, "What's going on?" It was his best serving performance in one of our matches and not just by a little bit, by far.

"

Pavel Golovkin/Associated Press

But if he brings the kind of class to the table that was on display against Murray, Federer is capable of blowing anyone off the court. This backhand was one of many standout moments in the semi-final masterclass against the home crowd favourite, per the Wimbledon Twitter feed:

If Federer’s level dips even a smidgen on serve, Djokovic will tuck in. The reigning champion is rampant on the return and if he can extend points, there’s no player on the planet that’s capable of living him when exchanging from the baseline.

But there’s been an aura about the seven-time champion over the past fortnight. Federer has been stunning in all of his matches, and against Murray he produced the levels reminiscent of the spell when he dominated the men’s game. If he does so again here, the Swiss sensation will have an eighth title in his clutches come Sunday evening.

Prediction: Federer in four sets