Novak Djokovic is set to win his sixth Wimbledon title, which would equal Roger Federer’s record. Here are the five keys to his victory.
Novak Djokovic broke the Wimbledon final record in a thrilling five-set victory over Roger Federer. Here are the five keys to his win.
LONDON, United Kingdom — Novak Djokovic’s calendar Grand Slam dream is alive and well after he defeated Matteo Berrettini 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 on Centre Court on Sunday to win the Wimbledon men’s singles championship.
Djokovic, who had previously won the Australian Open and the French Open, lost only two sets throughout the fortnight to win his sixth Wimbledon championship and 20th Grand Slam, tying him with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal for the most Grand Slams.
Djokovic did not find it easy against Berrettini, who was making his maiden Grand Slam final, but his persistence, experience, and consistency helped him push over the Italian and handle his power game.
Here’s how Djokovic won the Wimbledon men’s singles championship.
Getting over the first hurdle
Djokovic dropped a set for the second time this Wimbledon.
2 Related
Djokovic had a break and set point on Berrettini’s serve in the crucial game, which he won 5-2. The Italian held to force a deuce, and he finally earned his third victory on the board on the eighth. He then broke Djokovic and went on to win the tiebreak 7-4. Djokovic was providing opportunities for Berrettini, but the Italian’s 20 unforced mistakes compared to Djokovic’s 10 meant he was leaving opportunities on the grass.
However, this set allowed Djokovic to fine-tune his game plan of keeping the ball near to Berrettini’s body or cut to the fringes to prevent him from utilizing his jackhammer forehand, as well as moving him about the court. It also enabled him to get a good read on Berrettini’s serve after breaking him in the fourth game of the opening set, something Hubert Hurkacz failed to accomplish in the semifinal.
Berrettini’s serve must be tamed, and the correct break must be made at the right moment.
Berrettini’s highly regarded serve came through in the opening set, sealing it with a 138 mph ace, but it was still inconsistent. Throughout the first set, Djokovic’s serve was only hitting 56 percent of his first serves, and although that number climbed to 61 percent in the second, it allowed Djokovic the opportunity to win 61 percent of the points on Berrettini’s second serve (Berrettini won just 47 percent on Djokovic’s second). Djokovic took advantage of this by punishing Berrettini with two breaks at the start of the second set, preventing Barrettini from building on his first-set victory. In the third, he did the same to make it 2-1, putting Berrettini on the defensive.
Djokovic then maintained his own service, which had been broken once in both of the first and second sets, by pushing Berrettini about Centre Court and hitting these crisp, sliced backhands into the corners, making the Italian to stretch and struggle. Despite covering more distance per point (22.2 meters) than Berrettini (21.1 meters), Djokovic’s game management paid him at crucial times, as he won 36 percent of break points compared to Berrettini’s 29 percent.
Getty Images/Julian Finney
Dealing with the issue
On Centre Court, Djokovic’s expertise shone through. At 5-2 in the second, he even let himself to appreciate their tweener strokes, and despite being broken in the following game, he closed it out. This was Djokovic’s sixth major final loss in the first-set tiebreak, although he now has a record of four victories from those six matchups. So, no matter what position he’s in, he understands how to pull himself out of it, like he did in the French Open this year.
Djokovic looked a touch off in the first and second sets, his expertise in this venue extending to handling the crowd. On Centre Court, Berrettini had the majority of the support, with some banners saying “It’s Coming Rome!” in a play on the annual England football anthem, but the incumbent champion still had a strong following, with his supporters shouting “Novak, Novak!” in response to the “Ma-tte-o, Ma-tte-o!” offering. Despite Berrettini’s rousing reception in the first set, Djokovic’s mental toughness and ability to concentrate his own concentration paid off.
After breaking Berrettini to make it 2-1 in the third set, he tapped the side of his head to underscore his point. Later, when the umpire was forced to interfere to stop shouts of “Ma-tte-o!” on Djokovic’s serve, he nodded his head in agreement with the “quiet please” command. The umpire had to quiet the shouts for Berrettini in the fourth, with the Italian 30-0 up on Djokovic’s serve, only for Djokovic to tie the match at 30-30 with the most amazing extended winner after a fantastic rally. As if to say, remember who’s No. 1 on this court, he replied by lifting his finger into the Wimbledon air. Djokovic won the game to tie the match at 3-3, and it served as a springboard for him to break Berrettini in the next game with a combination of a brilliant cross-court forehand and a double fault.
Falling on the net’s right side
Djokovic handled the net better than Berrettini, winning 71 percent of the points compared to 62 percent for Berrettini. Djokovic pushed Berrettini to smash winners as he covered the net at crucial times, like as the two break chances he had at 3-2 in the third, only for the Italian to blast both out. Djokovic would have noticed Berrettini’s aversion to serve/volley, having never done so before the final, and despite Berrettini’s neat shots at the net (one of which Djokovic applauded in the fourth game of the second), Djokovic took advantage of it, teeing up his second of three championship points by volleying home at the net.
Behavior of a GOAT
Djokovic has made no secret of his desire to win the Grand Slams, and for good cause. Because the GOAT argument is subjective, there may never be a natural conclusion, but Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer are currently tied at 20 Grand Slams each. He is unmatched in his ability to handle these finals. He’s currently 12-0 in Grand Slam finals when leading 2-1 in the fourth set. In Grand Slams, such experience is priceless. He played his way into the final as well, with 10 unforced mistakes in the first set, four in the second, and three in the third. Djokovic now goes to the US Open with the hopes of being just the sixth player in men’s singles history to win a calendar Grand Slam, but his off-court preparation, together with his philosophy of living in the present and his growing experience, make him a dangerous winner.
Novak Djokovic won his record-tying fifth Wimbledon title on July 14, 2021. The win came in three sets as he defeated Roger Federer, the defending champion for a second time at the All England Club. Reference: djokovic age.
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