Federer, Nadal happy to welcome Djokovic to the 20-20 club
Roger Federer was quick to congratulate Novak Djokovic after he made it a three-way tie at the top of men’s tennis with his 20th grand slam title.
Djokovic defeated Matteo Berrettini 6-7 (4) 6-4 6-4 6-3 to join Federer and Rafael Nadal as the most successful men in the history of grand slam tennis.
Federer has now seen the mark he set at the Australian Open in 2018 equalled twice in less than a year, first by Nadal at the French Open last October and now Djokovic.
Federer wrote on Twitter: “Congrats Novak on your 20th major. I’m proud to have the opportunity to play in a special era of tennis champions. Wonderful performance, well done!”
Nadal sent a message later, Tweeting: “Congrats @DjokerNole on this amazing achievement. 20 Grand Slam titles is huge and it is amazing that we are 3 players tied on this. Well done and, again, congrats to you and your team for this!”
Djokovic has now won six Wimbledon titles, including three in succession, dropping just two sets all tournament.
BBC pundit Tim Henman, a four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist, said: “He’s just had an incredible tournament. He came in as a huge favourite and put in an absolute masterclass over the two weeks. No doubt that the best player won this tournament.
read also Djokovic wins 20th Grand Slam with sixth Wimbledon triumph
Djokovic is the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the first three slam titles of the year, and the Australian wrote on Twitter: “Congratulations Novak. Amazing achievement, you are on your way to a Grand Slam. Matteo, you played a fantastic tournament and I have no doubt your time will come.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Goran Ivanisevic’s memorable triumph, and the Croatian has become an integral part of Djokovic’s coaching team.
He said with a smile: “I won this tournament as a player, now I won as a coach. I don’t have to come any more.”
Ivanisevic believes Djokovic can win the Golden Slam, saying: “I said so many times, even before I was in his team, if somebody can win a Golden Slam, that’s him.