TOP seed Novak Djokovic defied the loud chants in favour of Roger Federer and a spirited fightback by the seven-time champion to win his second Wimbledon title here yesterday.

The Serb never enjoyed the overwhelming support of the crowd at the All England Club, even after he faced the man that ousted darling Andy Murray, Grigor Dimitrov, in the semifinals.

Djokovic won 6-7 6-4 7-6 5-7 6-4 in one of the most enthralling finales seen here.

The 27-year-old returned to the top of the world rankings with the win and in the process banished the heartache of losing to Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in France last month and to Murray here last year.

Djokovic was the more comfortable on his serve early on and tried to exert pressure on Federer's.

He almost broke the Swiss in the 12th game of the opening set but Federer's experience allowed him to claw back to hold serve and take the ensuing tie-break.

Federer seemed to take his foot off the pedal a little after drawing first blood and Djokovic pounced.

Djokovic broke Federer in the third game of the second set to inflict a blow as vital to the scoreboard as it was to grabbing a mental edge. He repelled Federer's advances with some neatly placed cross-court backhands.

The hallmark of Federer's game, his slinging one-handed backhand, hardly got the better of Djokovic.

It gave Federer none of the dominance he desperately craved. When it came right, though, he sent Djokovic sprawling to the floor and at one point the Serb needed attention on his ankle after a terrible slip.

Djokovic remained composed to hold serve whenever his serve was under pressure.