Novak Djokovic seeking love alongside tennis immortality after 7th Wimbledon win takes him to 21 grand slam titles
- Serbian hoping he is on the way to becoming a ‘people’s champion’ after beating Nick Kyrgios in four sets
- Triumph at All England Club puts him second on all-time list of grand slam winners, one behind Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic is already a sporting immortal but he will be desperately hoping he is finally becoming a “people’s champion” after winning a seventh Wimbledon crown.
The Serb has long been seeking the missing ingredient to make him an equal of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the hearts of tennis fans.
His four-set victory over unseeded Nick Kyrgios nudges him ahead of Federer into second place in the all-time list of grand slam men’s winners with 21 titles, one behind Nadal.
Djokovic nibbled a blade of grass in his customary celebration before making his “cup of love” gesture to all corners of the Centre Court, who roared their approval for the champion.
While Federer and Nadal enjoy an almost godlike status in the game, the Serb has been a player that fans have found more difficult to love.
Many had already picked either the Swiss or the Spaniard as “their man” by the time Djokovic won his first major in 2008, leaving him in a position as the awkward interloper.
The Serb, who left Belgrade when he was 12 to train in Munich and escape Nato’s bombardment of his home city, is a spikier character than the smooth, unruffled Federer or the self-effacing Nadal.