WATCH: Novak Djokovic Receives Standing Ovation From Crowd After a Stunner at Wimbledon Championships 2021

The stakes couldn’t get higher than this. The men’s Wimbledon final on Centre Court between two of the best competitors in the course of the fortnight.

Nerves for Djokovic and Berrettini from the outset

Both players looked to be a tad stiff when the match got under way. Djokovic was pulling out double faults, and Berrettini was finding the net on far too many backhands. It was a clear sign that even the best players can feel the pressure of the grandest occasion. The clouds had descended over Centre Court and neither player was ready to give in.

After a rough patch in the first couple of games, Djokovic began to find his feet. The Serbian nullified the Berrettini serve with his eternally sublime returns, and sped to a 4-1 lead. The Italian was yet to find the rhythm on his ground strokes, and was also serving at just over 40% first serves. This resulted in him playing catch up very early on, against someone who has made Centre Court his second home. However, once Berrettini settled in, the set turned out to be supremely entertaining. In a remarkable tiebreak turnaround, the charged up Italian pipped the World No.1 7-6(4) in 1:10 minutes.

Insanity from defending champ Djokovic

As the engrossing duel went on, Novak Djokovic did what Novak Djokovic does. The Serbian riled up the crowd and brought out his best tennis in the next two sets. Berrettini’s accuracy on the serve mellowed down, and Djokovic started nailing his ground strokes. After some intense exchanges, the man chasing the sacred 20th major raced back ahead by taking sets two and three 6-4 6-4.

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In the fourth set, the level only increased. It was in the 6th game at 15-30, that Djokovic produced one of the shots of the tournament to conclude one of the rallies of the tournament. Being on the defensive, Novak covered inhumane ground to sneak a sliding pass against the Berrettini forehand wing.

The two players continue to produce miraculous tennis and refuse to give up. At the end of the day, the sport of tennis is the victor.