Novak Djokovic defeated Matteo Berrettini 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to win his sixth Wimbledon singles title and his 20th major singles title, tying him with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for most major victories of all-time with 20.
Djokovic led 5-2 in the first set, but was not able to close as Berrettini captured the first set in a tiebreaker. Losing the first set, surprisingly, relaxed Djokovic, the Serbian told Darren Cahill on ESPN, and he rolled to a 4-0 lead in the second set. He remained steady throughout the third and fourth sets to at the All England Club for a sixth time, two behind the record eight titles won by Federer.
Djokovic, Federer and Nadal have 20 grand slam titles and are tied for the most in open-era tennis history. Nadal has bested both players at the French Open with 13 titles, while Djokovic leads the three with nine Australian Open wins.
Djokovic is now angling for the Golden Grand Slam. He’s already won the Australian, French and Wimbledon this year. He will be representing Serbia in the Olympics and is expected to play in the U.S. Open in August.
Steffi Graf is the only tennis player to achieve the feat. She won the 1988 Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open and a gold medal in the Olympics in Seoul.
“I love that he feels the pressure and embraces it,” says former top 4 player James Blake on ESPN, who Djokovic beat to win the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games.
“I see there are is no reason why he can’t win five to seven more,” says Brad Gilbert on ESPN. “He is not satisfied.”
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