Novak Djokovic has won his 20th Grand Slam singles title – equalling the men’s record held by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – with a four-set triumph over Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the Wimbledon final on Sunday.
Djokovic came from behind to win 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in a compelling contest on Centre Court at the All England Club, with Berrettini more than playing his part on his debut in a Grand Slam final.
The magnificent Serb has now won a remarkable eight of the last 12 men’s Slam titles, including three in succession at the All England Club since 2018, and he is now a huge favourite at 11/10 with Betfred to win the US Open in September to not only complete the Grand Slam but also go past Federer and Nadal as the most successful men’s singles player of all time.
With the Olympic Games coming up later this month, there is also the prospect of a monumental Golden Slam to consider, and Djokovic has made it be known that the five-piece achievement is in his mind.
"Winning Wimbledon was the biggest dream of mine when I was a kid," Djokovic said after winning the title. "This is a huge honour and privilege, from a seven-year-old boy constructing my own Wimbledon trophy in my room from improvised materials to standing here with a sixth Wimbledon title, it's amazing.
"I have to pay a great tribute to Rafa and Roger, they are legends of our sport, and they are the two most important players that I ever faced in my career and they are the reason I am here today."
It was by no means plain sailing in Sunday’s final though, with Berrettini taking the first set in stunning style having overcome early nerves to overturn a 5-2 deficit. Having rallied to take the superstar Serb to a tie break, Berrettini gained the ascendancy early on in the decider and never let it go, serving out to win the game 7-4.
But Djokovic was quick to fight back, going a double-break ahead in the second to regain some control, and while Berrettini pulled back one of the breaks of serve, the reigning Wimbledon, Australian Open and French Open champion took the set 6-4.
A single break was enough in the third to take Novak to within a set of his sixth Wimbledon title, and while Berrettini fought gamely to hold off the inevitable, a double-fault when break point down in the seventh game of the fourth brought the finish line in sight for Djokovic. The Serb then clinched his 20th success at this level when Berrettini netted with a sliced backhand on Djokovic’s third Championship point.
Djokovic was quick to make a beeline for his team in the crowd after the final point, sharing his history-making triumph with his support staff, including 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic. He is only the fifth man ever to win the first three Grand Slam single's events of a calendar year and won the Wimbledon title for the loss of only two sets in the entire tournament.
