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Wimbledon 2021, the great hope

Untouchable favorite, Djokovic fulfills his mission without trembling: he defeats the Italian colossus Matteo Berrettini in the final and lifts the London trophy for the sixth time, the third in a row.

After his titles at the Australian Open and Roland-Garros, Djokovic seems to have done the hardest part: unplayable since the start of the season, he is on the road to the Grand Slam, gilded moreover, with a medal of Olympic gold in sight.

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Olympic Games and US Open 2021, the great disappointment

The machine suddenly stops.

The Serb, at the top of his game a few weeks earlier, finished the Tokyo Games without a medal: beaten in the semi-finals (by the future champion, the German Alexander Zverev), he also lost the match for the bronze medal ( dominated by Spaniard Pablo Carreno).

What does he bring back from Japan?

A sore shoulder and mental exhaustion.

And in September in New York, to win the historic title (only the Australian Rod Laver succeeded in the Grand Slam for men in the Open era, in 1969), the Serb climbed to the final.

One game away it was fine, but the Russian Daniil Medvedev ruined Djokovic's hopes, far from his best level, in three sets.

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Masters 1000 of Paris 2021, a title to save the end of the year

The end of the season is not particularly happy for Djokovic, still in the semi-finals of the ATP Masters at the end of the year (again beaten by Zverev who will win the event).

He also lost in the semi-finals of the Davis Cup, a national team event to which he is very attached.

Only a record sixth trophy won at the Masters 1000 in Paris by taking revenge in the final on Medvedev sheds light on this last semester, notably ensuring that he finished the year N.1 in the world for the seventh time, a new record.

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Australian Open and Roland-Garros 2022, when it doesn't want...

The year started badly: not vaccinated against covid, he obtained an exemption to be able to play the first Major of the year, the one that succeeded him best with nine titles.

But entry into Australian territory was refused upon his arrival at Melbourne airport and he was placed in a detention center for migrants until his case was examined by the courts.

He was eventually expelled from Australia just before the start of the tournament.

Serbian Novak Djokovic at Melbourne airport before his deportation from Australia on January 16, 2022 Mell CHUN AFPTV/Archives

In the process, and because of his refusal of the vaccine against covid, he cannot play the American Masters 1000 (Indian Wells and Miami) and resumes competition during the European clay tour.

The title in Rome will certainly not alleviate his disappointment, a few days later, of an elimination in the quarter-finals at Roland-Garros by Nadal.

He gives way to his place of world N.1.

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Wimbledon 2022, Djokovic turns green again

And it is despite everything as a favorite, without having played the slightest official preparation match, that Djokovic presents himself on the lawn of Wimbledon, with his invincibility since his retirement in the quarter-finals in 2017.

He holds his own again, beating Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3 in the final, to win a seventh title at the All England Lawn Tennis Club and thus equal his idol Pete Sampras is just one point behind Roger Federer's eight English titles.

With this 21st Grand Slam trophy, he also returns to a length of Nadal's record (22).

But the Serb, still not vaccinated against Covid-19, risks not being authorized to enter American territory in August to compete in the US Open.

© 2022 AFP