Novak Djokovic wins Wimbledon men's final for record-tying 20th Slam title

July 11 (UPI) -- Top-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia rallied for a 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 win over Matteo Berrettini of Italy in the Wimbledon men's tennis final Sunday to claim his record-tying 20th Grand Slam singles title.

Djokovic, who won the tournament in 2018 and 2019 before last year's event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, earned his third straight championship at the All England Club and sixth overall.

The 34-year-old Serbian adds that to nine titles at the Australian Open, three at the U.S. Open and two at the French Open to tie Swiss star Roger Federer and Spaniard Rafael Nadal for the most majors won by a man in the history of the sport.

"I have to pay a great tribute to Rafa and Roger," Djokovic said. "They are legends of our sport and they are the two most important players that I've ever faced in my career.

"They are, I think, the reason that I am where I am today. They have helped me realize what I need to do in order to improve, get stronger mentally, physically, tactically."

Djokovic, who also won the French Open and the Australian Open earlier this year, becomes the first male since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the first three major tournaments in one season.

He is aiming for a calendar-year Grand Slam -- something not achieved by a male player since Laver more than five decades ago -- at the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 30.

"I could definitely envision that happening," Djokovic said. "I'm going to definitely give it a shot. I'm in a great form and obviously playing well. Playing my best tennis at Grand Slams is the highest priority that I have right now at this stage of my career. So, let's keep it going."

Sunday's final at Wimbledon marked Djokovic's 30th major final -- one shy of Federer's record 31 among men. It was the first for Berrettini, a 25-year-old who was seeded No. 7 at the tournament.

Djokovic dropped the first set after Berrettini closed it out with a 138 mph ace in the ensuing tiebreaker. From there, Djokovic turned it around and captured the next three sets in dominant fashion to earn the nearly $2.4 million in prize money.

"The last 10 years have been an incredible journey that is not stopping here," Djokovic said.