Djokovic vs. Federer: Score and Reaction for Western & Southern Open 2015 Final

Roger Federer sought to notch his seventh Western & Southern Open title Sunday in Cincinnati against Novak Djokovic, the man who kept him on seven titles at Wimbledon in their finale clash at the All England Club.

This Masters 1000 event was Federer's to defend, and a revamped return game allowed him to exact vengeance on Djokovic for their prior encounter in a scintillating straight-sets win by a score of 7-6(1), 6-3.

Greg Sharko of ATPWorldTour.com highlighted the history Federer made in topping both Djokovic and Andy Murray in the semifinals:

A triumph in this match would have moved Djokovic over .500 against Federer for the first time in his career. Instead, Federer took matters into his own hands, avoiding a fourth straight loss to Djokovic in improving to 21-20 against him overall.

Even Djokovic couldn't deny how superior Federer was afterward, per Live Tennis:

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'This is the 5th time I've been in the final & haven't won the title so I guess I have to wait for Roger to retire.' pic.twitter.com/WcHaK5ylwZ

— Live Tennis (@livetennis) August 23, 2015"

ATP commentator Rob Koenig observed how Federer adopted some elements of coach Stefan Edberg's game to give Djokovic fits at Lindner Family Tennis Center:

Things weren't easy from the beginning for Djokovic, who fended off three break points on serve at 1-1 and was pushed to deuce twice in the next three games thereafter, yet still held. It was a testament to how brilliant Federer has been on return in this tournament.

The 34-year-old spoke about the genesis of his idea for increasing his return velocity prior to Sunday's final, per the New York Times' Ben Rothenberg:

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I did it in practice more as a joke, and I tried it again and again and again, and it just seems like it's not that hard — for me — to do. Plus, it makes you play very committed. Up there, there is no room for not being committed; otherwise you'll lose the point every single time. It's very much all about timing and reaction.

"

Brain Game Tennis' Craig O'Shannessy praised Federer for playing with such conviction in pressing forward as well:

Impressive as it is for him to continue evolving at this late stage of his career, it also goes to show how much resolve Djokovic has to hold every game in the opening set. That intangible quality has been the difference in seeing the Serbinator climb to the top of the sport while sharing an era with multiple living legends.

But the no-holds-barred display from King Roger ran counter to what happened at Wimbledon when Djokovic broke Federer's spirit amid a four-set romp. David Law of the BBC noticed how it impacted Djokovic:

A magnificent backhand to go up 3-1 in the first-set tiebreaker preceded a ridiculous Federer return off a 106 mph second serve from Djokovic to seize control of the extra points.

WTA player Heather Watson applauded Federer for his bold tactics:

The tiebreaker proved to be the turning point in the match. Djokovic was clearly rattled and double-faulted three times in a single game to concede the early break to his opponent in the second game of the second set.

After managing to stave off another break following six deuces to hold at 4-2, Djokovic pushed Federer to 40-all with an opening to get back in the match. However, the door was promptly shut in the two subsequent points, ending any hope of a Djokovic comeback charge. Federer served out the match at love for good measure.

Adnan Virk of ESPN referenced how excellent Federer was in his service games against such a formidable counterpuncher:

Cincinnati hasn't been particularly kind to Djokovic, as he's now fallen to 0-5 in finals matches.

Being aggressive tends to pay dividends on the faster hard-court surface. Such a strategy was wise for Federer to deploy against Djokovic even over the course of a match that could only go a maximum of three sets.

Since Djokovic demands the very best out of his adversaries thanks to his polished, powerful all-around game, Federer needed to find another gear to shorten points and take Djokovic out of his element. It materialized almost by happenstance in the spirit of comedy, but his willingness to push boundaries and innovate even after all he's accomplished was rewarded Sunday.

Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated was excited about what Federer's dominance meant ahead of the year's final major:

SNY.tv's Adam Zagoria alluded to Djokovic's lacking form entering Flushing Meadows, suggesting there may be an opening for Federer to continue exploiting:

Arguably no one is better than Djokovic when he is at the top of his game. That phenomenon was on display at Wimbledon when Federer played rather well but still didn't seem to have a chance.

He took the fight to his foe in Cincinnati this time around, though, attacking when he could on second serves and shortening rallies to diminish the innate advantage Djokovic has thanks to the raw force of his groundstrokes and tremendous fitness.

Whether he can maintain this elite level of returning will likely determine how much longer he can stick among tennis' elite. At age 34, he's bucked the odds already, but the birth of a renovated return may spark a surge that sees Federer still with a chance to reclaim the world No. 1 title from Djokovic.

Considering he wasn't broken once in Cincinnati, has enhanced his game returning serve and is playing as well as ever at the net with newfound swagger, Federer has to be the favorite of the moment to claim his first U.S. Open title since 2008.