After defeating Matteo Berrettini in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, Novak Djokovic equaled the men’s record for most grand slam singles titles.
With 20 career grand slams, the world No. 1 joins Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as one of the best players in the sport’s history.
Djokovic rebounded from a shaky start to beat his Italian opponent 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-4 6-3 and won his sixth Wimbledon title.
Berrettini, who was playing in his maiden grand slam final, could have been apprehensive, but it was the veteran Djokovic who appeared shakier early on.
The 34-year-old made a double fault to begin the encounter before saving a breakpoint in his first service game.
Berrettini, who was attempting to become the first Italian to win a Wimbledon singles title, sought to depend on his big serve and booming forehand to settle into the match, but he was broken in his second service game by Djokovic.
The Italian then began struggling for form, missing a couple of easy shots, but discovered his rhythm just in time, breaking back against Djokovic as he was serving for the set.
The mini-victory seemed to give Berrettini a boost and momentum swung in his favor as the crowd got behind the underdog.
The opening set went into a nail-biting tie-break which Berrettini sealed with an emphatic ace.
It was clear Djokovic needed to up his game, and that’s exactly what he did in the second set, breaking the Italian’s serve twice in his first two attempts.
Berrettini didn’t go away, though, once again breaking back when Djokovic was serving for the set, but the Serbian dug deep to level the match.
The third set was more like the final many had expected, with both men producing wonderful tennis much to the delight of the packed stands on Centre Court.
Berrettini continued to put pressure on Djokovic in the final set of the match but the great champion’s experience began to pay off. He dramatically reduced his unforced errors and, as has always been the case, he found a way to win the big points.
