Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press
Novak Djokovic has dominated Wimbledon in recent years. Useless to claim, he is additionally dominated most indispensable tournaments all over that time. But he is taken it to yet yet any other stage in 2021.
After a hit each the Australian Originate and French Originate earlier this year, Djokovic is now moving to try to rep Wimbledon, too. He’s put to face Matteo Berrettini within the Wimbledon males’s singles final on Sunday, and if he wins, he’ll tie Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the most Huge Slam titles in males’s historic past with 20.
Djokovic is additionally having a leer to rep his sixth occupation Wimbledon championship, including his third in a row after a hit in each 2018 and 2019. Dating again to his 2018 victory at Wimbledon, Djokovic has received seven of the 11 Huge Slam occasions which were held over that span.
Right here is all the pieces else you’ve to hang heading into Sunday’s Wimbledon final.
Wimbledon Men’s Final Recordsdata
Date: Sunday, July 11
Open up Time: 9 a.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Dwell Circulation: ESPN app
Prize Money: Winner will get $2,399,520; runner-up will get $1,270,334.
Preview, Prediction
For loads of years, the trio of Djokovic, Federer and Nadal dominated the indispensable tournaments. And within the closing at these occasions, it became in most cases two of them going head-to-head.
That’s modified this year, as Federer and Nadal haven’t played in each Huge Slam event, and so they haven’t fared as successfully even when they’ve been in action. Within the meantime, Djokovic has capitalized, persevering with his recent trot of dominance.
Djokovic’s final opponent at each of the first three Huge Slam occasions of 2021 has been a selected participant. He defeated Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Originate, then beat Stefanos Tsitsipas at the French Originate. Now, he’ll face Berrettini at Wimbledon.
While these youthful, less experienced avid gamers are making deeper runs at indispensable tournaments, they’re peaceful proving to be no match for 34-year-old Djokovic. And that is unlikely to alternate at Wimbledon on Sunday.
Berrettini has had an impressive showing all around the final two weeks. After never previously making it past the semifinals at a Huge Slam event, he is now the first Italian participant to reach the Wimbledon final.
But Berrettini is entering unchartered territory, as the 25-year-old has a possibility to impression the very finest rep of his occupation. His opponent, though, is one among the sport’s all-time greats. And he is conscious of the topic that is sooner than him in facing Djokovic.
There have been two earlier matchups between Djokovic and Berrettini, each entering into Djokovic’s settle on. The most trendy came within the quarterfinals of the French Originate closing month, as Djokovic received 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5. But clay has never been Djokovic’s easiest ground, as he is easiest a two-time French Originate winner.
When Djokovic and Berrettini play on grass, don’t set up a question to it to be as competitive, especially pondering the kind Djokovic has been enjoying of unhurried. He’s lost easiest one put in his first six wins at Wimbledon, and that became his first put in his opening-round match in opposition to Jack Draper.
Djokovic is rolling. And he is on the cusp of historic past. But he is additionally final centered.
“After I am on the court docket, I try to lock in and I try to exclude the entire distractions,” Djokovic mentioned, per ESPN’s Tom Hamilton. “I maintain like over time I managed to invent the mechanism that permits me to fabricate that.”
When Djokovic is locked in, he is unbeatable. And Berrettini goes to rep yet any other taste of that in Sunday’s Wimbledon final, because it have to now not find yourself being a lengthy match.
Search files from Djokovic to rep quickly work of Berrettini, including yet yet any other Huge Slam title to his trophy case and shifting a step nearer toward a finest 2021 at indispensable tournaments.
Prediction: Djokovic beats Berrettini in straight items
