Men’s tennis world number one Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini will face each other in the final of the 2021 Wimbledon championship in a match that promises to have significant ramifications for either of the men that emerges victorious.
In the other clash, women’s world number one Ashleigh Barty defeated Karolina Pliskova in three sets 6-3 6-7 6-3 to lift her first Wimbledon title at the All-England club.
DJOKOVIC VS BERRETTINI
In the buildup to his match against Berrettini, Novak Djokovic stated that breaking records and creating new ones made him excited. The Serb has the chance to join an exclusive club of tennis player that have won up to 20 Grand Slam titles, containing only greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
The 34-year-old Serb won his 19th Grand Slam title at Roland Garros when he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the 2021 French Open. He is only one match away from equaling the men’s career Grand Slam record held by Federer and Nadal.
Djokovic’s opponent, Matteo Berrettini, is the first Italian man to ever qualify for the final of the tournament at Wimbledon.
The seventh seed has won 11 straight games on grass, forcing Djokovic to acknowledge his talents and declare him as arguably the best player on grass this year.
Berrettini has put together a strong run at the right time of the year and is in a good position to give Djokovic a run for his money. However, the Italian is relatively untested at this level, as he did not face a single player ranked in the world’s top ten en route to reaching the final.
His highest ranked opponent came around in the semifinal as he defeated Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, ranked 14th in the world. He won the Queen’s event on grass this year but is aiming at his first ever Grand Slam title.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Berrettini is nine years Djokovic’s junior and has faced the Serb only twice in his career. Their first meeting came in 2019 at the Nitto ATP Finals in Great Britain, with Djokovic winning 6-2 6-1 in straight sets.
Their second meeting came earlier this year when Djokovic prevailed over Berrettini in the quarterfinals of the French Open in four sets 6-3 6-2 6-7 7-5. Between both men, there is a gulf of experience as Berrettini has won only 5 titles to Djokovic’s 84.
The Italian only turned pro in 2015.
Berrettini plays with a big serve and powerful forehand, but Djokovic is assured of his ability to cope with the Italian, reiterating his confidence in his return throughout his professional career.
Djokovic has shown his experience in defeating Next Gen players such as Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas in his recent Grand Slam triumphs.
BARTY VS PLISKOVA
Women’s world number one, Australia’s Ashleigh Barty has won her first ever Wimbledon and second Grand Slam title after she defeated Karolina Pliskova in the final of the Wimbledon tournament 6-3 7-6 6-3. She has matched the feat of her idol Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who was the last Australian woman to win the Wimbledon championship in 1971.
PUNTERS CORNER
For fans who love betting on tennis and punters interested in betting on Wimbledon, Djokovic is the clear favourite and was given 1.20 odds of winning. His opponent, Berrettini, was given 4.75 odds of emerging as Wimbledon champion.
