By: Aaron Xiong
With the gates of Wimbledon now closed, the grounds emptied, and the grass worn down to the soil, history rewrites itself following the 134th edition of the prestigious tournament. This year’s men’s finalist, Matteo Berrettini, became the first Italian man in 45 years to reach a Grand Slam final. In his maiden Grand Slam final, the 25 year old Italian was able to nab the opening set of the championship before falling in four sets. With a bright future ahead of Berrettini, this will not be his first and final slam final.
Etching his name into the history books yet again is non other than the great Novak Djokovic. By defeating Matteo Berrettini this past Sunday, Novak Djokovic claimed his sixth Wimbledon Championship as well as his 20th Grand Slam title. Further adding to his claim for greatest of all time, Novak Djokovic has now tied Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for most majors of all time. Passing the likes of Bjorn Borg with six Wimbledon titles, Djokovic now trails only Pete Sampras and Roger Federer for most Wimbledon Championships. With the ladder holding seven and eight respectively.
Adding to an already outstanding season with wins in Melbourne, Belgrade, Paris, Djokovic has now joined Rod Laver as the only men in the Open Era to have won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon Championships in the same calendar year. Aiming for the Calendar Slam, Novak Djokovic would only need to claim the U.S Open this year to complete the elusive feat the likes of which Federer and Nadal haven’t even achieved. Eyes set on N.Y.C for the fourth and final slam of the year, Djokovic is the clear favorite heading into Big Apple seeking his fourth U.S Open title of his career.
With his decision to head to Tokyo for the Olympics and hopefully achieve the Golden Slam up in the air, fans are anxious to see Djokovic etch his name into the record books once again. A feat only completed by Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi, Novak Djokovic could further cement his legacy by winning the gold medal in singles and the U.S Open to complete the Golden Calendar Slam. With many athletes and tennis players especially, pulling out of the Olympics, the question as to whether or not the Serbian legend will head to Tokyo remains a mystery. Whether he chooses to go or not, he is the clear cut favorite in every tournament he plays as of now.
As the goat conversation has reopen itself yet again with Novak eclipsing 20 slam titles, spectators are beginning to heat up the argument for the greatest of all time. Some claim Djokovic to be the undisputed goat, while others would say Federer or Nadal have earned the right to be called the goat. Depending on which side you choose to defend, there is certainly one thing every tennis fan has in common: we are all blessed to be witnessing greatness.
