Skip to main content
Jul 11, 2022 - Sports

The reign continues: Novak Djokovic wins 7th Wimbledon title

Kendall Baker
Novak Djokovic

Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images

Novak Djokovic beat Nick Kyrgios, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3), on Sunday to win his seventh Wimbledon title (fourth straight) and 21st Grand Slam, moving him one shy of Rafael Nadal's record.

Driving the news: Djokovic capped off a wild past 10 months by winning his favorite event. "[Wimbledon] always has been ... the most special tournament in my heart, the one that motivated me to start playing tennis."

The big picture: The Big Three — Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer — have now won 62 of the past 75 men's Grand Slam titles, and 20 of the past 22. They've also won 17 of the past 19 Wimbledons. It's madness.

Table: Axios Visuals
Table: Axios Visuals

Yes, but: With each passing month, the chances to watch the Big Three in action get rarer. Nadal's injury robbed us of a head-t0-head Grand Slam matchup, and we may not see another one for quite a while.

  • Djokovic, 35, will likely miss the U.S. Open because he's unvaccinated and can't enter the country. He could also miss the Australian Open due to a ban, meaning his next major may not be until May 2023.
  • Nadal, 36, withdrew from Wimbledon with an abdominal tear and recently considered retirement due to a chronic foot injury that he says will "never fully heal." In short: He'll likely never be 100% again.
  • Federer, 40, is planning another comeback attempt in September, when he'll be 41. Could Fed still have some magic left? Sure. But even he knows the "end is near."

The bottom line: One day, the insane chart above will no longer be of use. Men's tennis will have moved on from The Big Three era and will belong to a new generation — one fortunate enough to have avoided their two-decade reign of terror. But that day will have to wait.

"We'll never see a competitor like Rafa again. You'll never see someone wield a racket like Roger, so effortlessly. You'll never see anyone who just wins [like] Djokovic."

— Kyrgios

Go deeper:

Go deeper