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7 Wimbledons, 21 Grand Slams: Love him or hate him, but you can't ignore Novak Djokovic

Vivek MishraJuly 11, 2022 | 15:25 IST

When Rafael Nadal won his 22nd Grand Slam title at the French Open this year, we all knew Novak Djokovic would be eyeing that top spot. Djokovic won his seventh Wimbledon title and 21st Grand Slam on Sunday with a four-set win over Australia's Nick Kyrgios.

The Serb looked calm and composed against the constantly chattering Kyrgios and made a comeback after losing the first set to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) for a fourth consecutive championship at the All England Club.

Djokovic has now become the first man in tennis history to win two different Grand Slams seven or more times each.

 

He has nine Australian Opens, seven Wimbledon titles, three US Opens and two Roland Garros trophies.

With his seventh Wimbledon title, he has tied the second spot with William Renshaw and Pete Sampras, trailing only to Roger Federer's eight titles.

We take a look at Djokovic's six Wimbledon final wins before he defeated Kyrgios:

1st WIMBLEDON TITLE - 2011

This was an important year for Djokovic as he secured the number one ranking and then went on to beat Rafael Nadal in the final to clinch his first Wimbledon crown. This was also his first title on grass.

Djokovic defeated defending champion Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 in the final which lasted over  two and a half hours. 'It is the best day of my life,' Djokovic said after his victory.

In 2008, he also became the seventh man to win three Grand Slam titles in a year.

2nd WIMBLEDON TITLE - 2014

In 2014, Djokovic was struggling with his form and had lost quite a few finals in recent times. But he ended his Grand Slam drought with a five-set victory over Roger Federer.

In a thrilling final, Djokovic got the better of Federer with a 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 6-4 scoreline as he secured his second Wimbledon and seventh Grand Slam title.

Djokovic had lost his previous three major finals before this and after winning the Wimbledon final, he reclaimed the number one ranking.

3rd WIMBLEDON TITLE - 2015

In 2015 also, Djokovic denied Federer a chance to secure his eighth Wimbledon title as he clinched back-to-back titles at the All England Club.

The defending champion won 7-6 (7-1) 6-7 (10-12) 6-4 6-3 to win his third Wimbledon, and his ninth Grand Slam title. With this win, he got ahead of the likes of Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl in the all-time list of major winners.

In 2015, Djokovic reached all four Grand Slam finals and also won three Grand Slam titles in a year for the second time.

 

4th WIMBLEDON TITLE - 2018

After having two rough years where Djokovic suffered injuries and personal issues and didn't win a single Grand Slam title, the Serb made a stunning comeback at Wimbledon 2018.

Seeded 12th, he defeated South Africa's Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) to claim his fourth Wimbledon and 13th Grand Slam title.

This was his first major since the 2016 French Open. This victory took him to fourth place on the all-time list of Grand Slam men's singles titles.

 

5th WIMBLEDON TITLE - 2019

World number one Djokovic captured his fifth Wimbledon title in 2019 as he defeated Federer in another nail-biting five-setter.

He defeated Federer 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3) in four hours and 55 minutes. Djokovic's victory was special considering Federer had two championship points at 8-7, 40/15 on serve. But Djokovic was cool as ever as he made a stunning comeback.

With this, he got his 16th Grand Slam singles title, with only Rafael Nadal (18) and Federer (20) ahead of him in the all-time list.

6th WIMBLEDON TITLE - 2021

There was no Wimbledon in 2020 but in 2021 Djokovic continued his dominance at the grass court by winning his third title in a row, and sixth overall at the All England Club.

After losing the first set, Djokovic made a comeback to beat Italy's Matteo Berrettini 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the final.

He tied Federer and Nadal by claiming his 20th Grand Slam title. He also became the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the first three major tournaments in a season.

Djokovic has had a tough year with vaccine controversy at the Australian Open. Many have criticised him for his stand on taking Covid vaccine. But he didn't let this affect his game.

Seven Wimbledon titles, 21 Grand Slams! Love him or hate him, his records won't let you ignore him.

Last updated: July 12, 2022 | 15:20
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