Djokovic wins record-equalling 20th Grand Slam and sixth Wimbledon title
Wimbledon, Jul 11: Novak Djokovic tied Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal by claiming his 20th Grand Slam title Sunday, coming back to beat Matteo Berrettini 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the Wimbledon final.
The No. 1 -ranked Djokovic earned a third consecutive championship at the All England Club and sixth overall.
He adds that to nine titles at the Australian Open, three at the U.S. Open and two at the French Open to equal his two rivals for the most majors won by a man in tennis history.
The 34-year-old from Serbia is now the only man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the first three major tournaments in a season. He can aim for a calendar-year Grand Slam something last accomplished by a man when Laver did it 52 years ago at the U.S. Open, which starts Aug. 30.
This was Djokovic's 30th major final among men, only Federer has played more, 31 and the first for Berrettini, a 25-year-old from Italy who was seeded No. 7.
It was a big sporting day in London for Italians: Their national soccer team faced England at Wembley Stadium in the European Championship final at night.
With Marija Cicak officiating, the first female chair umpire for a men's final at a tournament that began in 1877, play began at Centre Court as the sun made a rare appearance during the fortnight, the sky visible in between the clouds.
The opening game featured signs of edginess from both, but especially Djokovic, whose pair of double-faults contributed to the half-dozen combined unforced errors, compared with zero winners for either. He faced a break point but steadied himself and held there and, as was the case with every set, it was Djokovic who took the lead by getting through on Berrettini's speedy serve.
Berrettini came in with a tournament-high 101 aces and that's where his game is built: free points off the serve and quick-strike forehands that earned him the nickname Hammer.
Those powerful strokes sent line judges contorting to get their head out of harm's way. Djokovic occasionally took cover himself, crouching and raising his racket as if it were a shield to block back serves aimed at his body.
Not many opponents return serves at 137 mph and end up winning the point, but Djokovic did that at least twice. And the big groundstrokes that the 6-foot-5, barrel-chested Berrettini can drive past most other players kept coming back off Djokovic's racket.
That's what Djokovic does: He just forces foes to work so hard to win every point, let alone a game, a set, a match.
Indeed, this one could have been over much sooner: Djokovic took leads of 4-1 in the first set, 4-0 in the second and 3-1 in the third. But in the first, especially, he faltered in ways he rarely does, wasting a set point and getting broken when he served for it at 5-3.
In the ensuing tiebreaker, they were tied at 3-all, but Berrettini won three of the next four points with forehands, and closed it out with a 138 mph ace.
He strutted to the changeover and many in the full house of nearly 15,000 rose to celebrate along with him.
But Djokovic is nothing if not a fighter he turned things around from two sets down in the French Open final last month and he worked his way back into this one, which ended with Djokovic on his back on the court, basking in the crowd's cheers.
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Congress' leniency led to Waqf boards flouting norms, claims Kangana Ranaut
Shimla, Apr 5 (PTI): The Congress' leniency towards Waqf boards led to them flouting norms, BJP MP Kangana Ranaut alleged on Saturday and said the Waqf (Amendment) Bill passed by Parliament would address the issue of largescale land-grabbing.
Addressing a Jan Sampark Abhiyan in the Majhvad area of her Mandi constituency, the actor-politician welcomed the Waqf bill's passage and claimed there was a big conspiracy behind the formation of Waqf boards even before Independence.
The entire country is suffering till now because of that, she alleged.
The new legislation will address the issue of significant encroachments, she claimed and alleged huge chunks of land had been grabbed in the name of Waqf boards.
Parliament approved the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, early on Friday after the Rajya Sabha gave its nod to the contentious legislation following an over 13-hour debate.
The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. It was passed in the Lok Sabha early on Thursday, with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it.
Ranaut also said Congress leaders elected from Mandi did not raise their voices for the people in Parliament.
That is why Himachal Pradesh is in huge debt today, she claimed.
The BJP MP, who hails from Mandi, said Congress leaders made an uncalled-for remark about the district -- also known as Chhoti Kashi -- to defame it while she was preparing to return home.
Ranaut was referring to a comment by Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate after the actor-politician was fielded by the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls that had evoked strong reactions.
Speaking in the local dialect, she expressed her gratitude to the people of Mandi for electing her and said she would work for their welfare as a sister and daughter.
Earlier, Ranaut paid obeisance at the Bhoot Nath temple.
