Tennis legend Novak Djokovic scaled yet another peak with his Wimbledon triumph on Sunday as he became the first player in history to earn over $150 million (over Rs 1100 crore) in career prize money.
Djokovic won a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title and sixth Wimbledon with a four-set victory over Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, with rival superstar Roger Federer hailing the achievement as a “wonderful performance”.
The No 1 triumphed 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to move level on 20 majors with Federer and Rafael Nadal.
His win also put him three-quarters of the way to the first calendar Grand Slam of all four majors since 1969.
A sixth victory at the All England Club for Djokovic, who was playing in his 30th final at the Slams, added to his nine Australian Opens, two Roland Garros titles as well as three at the US Open.
Should he win a fourth title in New York in September, he will become just the third man in history after Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) to complete the calendar Grand Slam.
A gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics could give him the first ever Golden Grand Slam by a male player.
Djokovic also now has 85 career titles while he has become the first man to break the $150 million prize money barrier.
Here’s a look at the all-time ATP prize money leaders as of July 12, 2021:
| Player | Career | YTD | Singles | Doubles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | $151,876,636 | $6,220,457 | $6,195,865 | $24,592 |
| Roger Federer | $130,594,339 | $647,655 | $647,655 | $0 |
| Rafael Nadal | $124,937,195 | $1,454,430 | $1,454,430 | $0 |
| Andy Murray | $62,009,732 | $216,363 | $209,674 | $6,689 |
| Pete Sampras | $43,280,489 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Also read:
Wimbledon: Djokovic’s 20th Grand Slam is not a chase, but the start of a whole new race
Absolutely remarkable what we are watching: Reactions to Djokovic’s Wimbledon win
Watch: Wimbledon champ Djokovic, runner-up Berrettini’s speeches and final highlights
I’m a little bit divided: Djokovic is unsure of playing Tokyo Olympics with new restrictions