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Novak Djokovic strengthened his claim as the greatest player to have graced the sport as he recovered from a set down to beat Matteo Berrettini 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to win his sixth Wimbledon title.
With his latest triumph at SW19, Djokovic now only trails Roger Federer (8) and Pete Sampras (7) with regards to titles at the grasscourt Major.
The Serb, playing his third Major final of the year, squandered a 5-2 lead in the first set before dropping it in a tiebreak. That snapped his 18-set win streak at the tournament, but Djokovic soon upped the ante, taking the second set to restore parity.
Djokovic broke early in the third and took it 6-4 to seize control of the match. Berrettini, playing in his first Grand Slam final, offered some resistance in the fourth, but Djokovic could not be stopped as he sailed past the finish line for the 20th time at a Major.
With the win, Djokovic, who is the only player in the Open Era to have lifted each Grand Slam trophy twice, achieved numerous milestones. Here's a look at five of them.
#1 Novak Djokovic becomes fifth male player in Open Era to accomplish the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double
With his triumph at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic, who lifted the Roland Garros trophy last month, joined a select group of male players to have completed the 'Channel Slam'.
Djokovic joined Rod Laver (1969), Bjorn Borg (1978-80), Rafael Nadal (2008, 2010) and Roger Federer (2009) on the list of male players in the Open Era to have won the claycourt and grasscourt Major in the same year.
Last month, the 34-year-old Serb dethroned 13-time champion Nadal in the Roland Garros semifinal before recovering from a two-set deficit to down Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.
#2 Novak Djokovic is the first player in 14 years to three-peat at Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic won Wimbledon in 2018 and 2019, and following his victory over Berrettini in the 2021 final, the Serb became the first player since Roger Federer (2003-07) to complete a three-peat at the grasscourt Major.
After beating Rafael Nadal for his first Wimbledon title in 2011, Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in back-to-back finals in 2014 and 2015. The Serb won his fourth title at SW19 in 2018 by beating Kevin Anderson in the final.
A year later, Djokovic saved multiple championship points to defeat Federer in the first-ever fifth-set tiebreak at SW19 for his fifth title at the grasscourt Major.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 edition of Wimbledon. When the tournament returned this year, Djokovic continued from where he had left off, dropping just two sets en route to his third consecutive title at SW19.
In the Open Era, Bjorn Borg (1976-80), Pete Sampras (1993-95, 96-2000) and Federer are the only other male players to win three Wimbledon titles on the trot.
#3 Novak Djokovic extends his record for most Grand Slam titles won by a male player aged 30 or more
With his latest triumph at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic extended his record for most Grand Slam singles titles won by a player aged 30 or above. Djokovic now has eight, putting him two clear of Rafael Nadal.
The Serb has won titles at all four Majors since turning 30. He won the Australian Open thrice (2019-21), Roland Garros once (2021), Wimbledon thrice (2018-19, 21) and US Open once (2018).
#4 Novak Djokovic is only the second male player in the Open Era to win the first three Grand Slam titles in a year
To say that Novak Djokovic is on a roll in 2021 would be a gross understatement. The Serb has lost only three times all season, racking up 34 match wins and four titles. That includes triumphant campaigns at three of the biggest tournaments in the tennis calendar - Australian Open, Roland Garros and now Wimbledon.
In the process, Djokovic has become the first male player since the legendary Rod Laver, who won the Calendar Slam in 1969, to win the first three Grand Slam titles in a year.
On current form, it would take a very brave person to bet against Djokovic completing a Calendar Slam in 2021.
#5 Novak Djokovic joins Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 Grand Slam titles
Novak Djokovic's sixth title at Wimbledon was his record-tying 20th Grand Slam crown. It moved him level with his arch-rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the most Major singles titles by a male player in the history of the sport.
Federer was the first to arrive at the mark when he won his 20th and most recent Grand Slam title at the 2018 Australian Open. Nadal joined Federer atop the all-time Major leaderboard when he lifted a record-extending 13th Roland Garros title last year.
Now, there is an unprecedented three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard for the very first time in history.
Interestingly, when Djokovic made his Grand Slam breakthrough by winning the 2008 Australian Open, Federer was on 12 Major titles and Nadal on three. Three years later, when the Serb won his second Major, Federer had moved on to 16 and Nadal to nine. A decade later, Djokovic has caught up with both men at 20.
Federer was one of the first players to congratulate the Serb on the feat.
Considering Djokovic is the youngest of the trio and still in his prime, it's safe to say that the Serb is the overwhelming favourite to become the first male player to win 21 Slam titles.
He will have the opportunity to do so at the US Open, where all three rivals are expected to feature.
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