Novak Djokovic remains unstoppable on the grass courts of Wimbledon.
The men’s No. 1 seed overpowered Nick Kyrgios in four sets Sunday to win his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title and seventh overall.
“Every single time it gets more and more meaningful and special,” Djokovic told the Centre Court crowd after the match. “I’m very blessed and very thankful to be standing here with the trophy.”
In winning his 21st Grand Slam singles crown, Djokovic, 35, now stands one behind Rafael Nadal in the history of men’s tennis. A potential showdown between the two failed to materialize when Nadal was forced to withdraw from his semifinal match against Kyrgios because of a torn abdominal muscle.
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Playing in his 32nd major final — the most ever by a men’s player — Djokovic dropped the first set to the Australian, but rallied to win his 28th consecutive match at the All England Club, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Kyrgios, 27, was unseeded and playing in his first Grand Slam final.
“It always has been and always will be the most special tournament in my heart,” Djokovic said.
The Serbian star won his first Wimbledon crown in 2011 and hasn’t lost there since the 2017 quarterfinals, when he was forced to retire from his match against Tomas Berdych because of an elbow injury.
Djokovic defeated South African Kevin Anderson for the 2018 title, outlasted Roger Federer in an epic five-set match for the 2019 crown and ousted Italian Matteo Berrettini in last year’s final.
No tournament was held in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Only Federer, with eight, has won more Wimbledon men’s singles titles. Djokovic’s latest Grand Slam victory also broke a tie with Federer, who has 20 major titles in his career.
