London: Novak Djokovic beat Matteo Berrettini in the men's singles final to win his sixth Wimbledon and a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title, here on Sunday.
The 34-year-old Serb won 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-4 6-3 against Italy's Berrettini in front of a passionate and vocal 15,000 crowd on Centre Court.
With this win, the World No 1 drew level with his great rivals, Switzerland’s Roger Federer and Spain’s Rafael Nadal's record of 20 men's Grand Slam victories
'It was more than a battle. Winning Wimbledon was always the biggest dream of mine as a child. I know how special this is and I don’t want to take this for granted,' said Djokovic.
'I was a seven-year-old boy in Serbia, constructing a Wimbledon tennis trophy with improvised materials in my bedroom and now I am standing here with six titles. It's incredible,' he added.
Top seed Djokovic has now won all three Grand Slam men's titles in 2021.
Having already claimed the Australian Open and French Open, Djokovic is the fifth man in history - and only the second in the Open era after Rod Laver in 1969 - to win the first three majors of the season.
When asked what it means to win a 20th Grand Slam title, Djokovic said, 'It means none of us will stop [playing]. I have to pay a great tribute to Rafa and Roger as legends of our sport, the two most important players in my career and why I am the player I am today. They made me realise what I needed to improve, mentally, physically and tactically.'
"When I first broke into the Top 10, for three or four years, I lost most of the big matches against these guys and something shifted at the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011. The past 10 years have been an incredible journey and it’s not stopping here,' he added.
After retaining his crown at the All England Club, Djokovic has moved a step closer to becoming the second player to achieve a 'Golden Slam'.
Only Germany's Steffi Graf in 1988 has ever won all four majors and the Olympics in a calendar year. (UNI)
