CELEBRITY
It’s 20th Grand Slam for Novak Djokovic, wins Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic overcame Matteo Berrettini, the Italian slugger with the build of a heavyweight boxer, to capture his sixth Wimbledon title on Sunday (July 11).
The Serb, who had admitted before the match that “it will mean everything” to capture a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam, dropped the first set but then eased to a 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 win.
He moved level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on career majors with the victory and is now three-quarters of the way to the first Grand Slam in more than half a century. He will head to Tokyo for the Olympics in a few weeks but no man has ever won the four slams and an Olympic gold in the same year.
Djokovic, who has already captured a ninth Australian Open and second French Open in 2021, is just the third man to win all four Majors more than once.
“It was more than a battle. He is a true Italian hammer I felt it on my skin,” said Djokovic of Berrettini, before also paying tribute to Federer and Nadal. “Roger and Rafa are legends they are the reason I am where I am today.”
Berrettini, 25, the first Italian to reach a Wimbledon singles final, just fell short of emulating Boris Becker in 1985 in winning Queen’s on debut and then adding the Wimbledon crown a few weeks later.
“Novak is a great champion he is writing history on this court,” he said. “It is not the end it is the beginning for me.
“Without my family, friends and team all this would not have been possible so I just say Grazie Grazie.”
Federer tweeted: “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!”
The 34-year-old Djokovic, who came into the title clash having beaten Berrettini in both of their previous meetings, opened a 5-2 lead in the first set with an early break but the Italian fought back to force a tiebreak which he clinched to draw first blood.
It was only the second set the Serb had lost in this year’s championships. He reacted by racing to a 4-0 lead in the second set before going on to level the match.
A single break of serve in the third and two more breaks in the fourth were enough for Djokovic to close out the contest in front of a raucous Centre Court crowd, who kept on chanting the Italian underdog’s name.
Djokovic sealed his place in the record books on his third match point when Berrettini’s backhand slice landed in the net.
Reuters/AFP
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo crossed one billion followers across his social media accounts, aided by his newly-launched YouTube channel that has attracted more than 60 million subscribers in just over three weeks.
Ronaldo, who scored his 900th career goal last week to help Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the Nations League, is the first human being to reach a billion followers on social media, global media reports said.
“We’ve made history, one billion followers! This is more than just a number, it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond,” Ronaldo posted on X.
“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows. This journey is our journey… thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life.”
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player reached the milestone with over 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook and 113 million on X.
The 39-year-old topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes this year, with off-field earnings of $60 million, boosted by his large social media following.
Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr will host Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
-Reuters
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo launched his YouTube channel on Wednesday and hundreds of thousands of subscribers signed up within a couple of hours.
The 39-year-old five-times Ballon D’Or winner plays for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
“The wait is over. My @YouTube channel is finally here! SIUUUbscribe and join me on this new journey,” Ronaldo posted on his social media accounts.
A couple of hours after posting his first video, 1.69M subscribers had joined he channel.
Ronaldo has 112.5 million followers on the X platform, 170 million on Facebook and 636 million on Instagram.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United player is preparing for his team’s Saudi Pro League opener against Al-Raed on Thursday.
-Reuters
Inter Miami will be the last club Argentina captain Lionel Messi plays for, the 36-year-old forward said on Wednesday, adding he feels “a little bit scared” at the thought of the day he decides to retire.
Messi, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, has a contract with the Major League Soccer side until 2025 following his arrival last summer after a spell with French champions Paris St Germain.
“Inter Miami will be my last club. I love playing football. I enjoy everything even more because I am aware that there is less and less left,” Messi told ESPN.
“I’m not ready to leave football. I’ve done this all my life, I love playing football, I enjoy training, the day-to-day, the matches… And yes, there’s always a little bit of fear that it’s all over.”
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is preparing with his national team to defend their Copa America title, with the tournament kicking off on June 20 in the United States.
Argentina will take on Canada in the opening match before facing Group A rivals Chile on June 25 and Peru four days later.
-Reuters
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