Novak Djokovic drew level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 grand slam titles after battling back to beat Matteo Berrettini and defend his Wimbledon crown.
Sunday's final was the first since 2019, when Djokovic had to be at his best to edge Federer in one of the All England Club's great matches.
The top seed scarcely came close to that same standard against Berrettini, nor did he need to despite falling behind in a first-set tiebreak, allowing his opponent – a major final debutant – to defeat himself at times.
A 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-4 6-3 success earned Djokovic parity with Federer and Nadal, and he may well be out on his own as he shows few signs of slowing while his ageing rivals each manage their schedules.
Even in command of the one set he dropped, Djokovic survived a sloppy start to break at the second attempt as his opponent skewed a forehand into the sidelines and piled on the pressure again in a long eighth game.
But he faltered when serving for the set, with Berrettini's chipped forehand pass restoring parity, which was then protected with a roar to reach a tiebreak.
The pair traded mini-breaks before Berrettini seized the initiative, stepping forward for a superb forehand winner and serving out the set with a blistering ace.
Djokovic promptly claimed control of the second, though, alert at close range to break a first time and two up when Berrettini bowed to the third chance in the third game, firing into the net.
Berrettini did not give up the chase, following an outrageous tweener lob for 5-2 with a break back after Djokovic's slip and then a further frantic hold.
However, the world number one this time successfully served out the set to love and once more made swift progress in the third, holding his nerve in a backhand rally until Berrettini clipped the net.
Djokovic saved a pair of break points at 3-2 and kept Berrettini at arm's length thereafter to see out the set.
Berrettini took the fight to the favourite in the fourth but merely succeeded in provoking his best play of the match, a staggering point in which the breathless Djokovic held firm setting the stage for a break in the next game – decided by a double fault.
With the end in sight, rather than face the challenge of serving for game, set, match and championship, Djokovic went on the offensive again and Berrettini could not cling on, slicing into the net at the last.
Data Slam: Berrettini brave but beaten
Berrettini's aggressive approach meant this match was always likely to be decided on his racket. His 16 aces improved a tournament-high tally to 117 and fittingly included the decisive point in the first set. There were also 57 Berrettini winners, including three from approach shots in that opener. But the 48 unforced errors to the risk-averse Djokovic's 21 took the contest away from the Italian.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 31/21
Berrettini – 57/48
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic – 5/4
Berrettini – 16/3
BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic – 6/15
Berrettini – 2/7
Sepp Kuss claimed his second ever stage victory as he triumphed at the Tour de France on Sunday, with Tadej Pogacar keeping control of the yellow jersey.
Jumbo-Visma's Kuss, who came into this year's Tour as a support rider for Primos Roglic, took his chance on the final, steepest climb of Stage 15, with around 20km of the 191.3km route into Andorra remaining.
The American rider – who won his previous Grand Tour stage in the 2019 Vuelta a Espana and is based in Andorra – held off competition from Alejandro Valverde, who looked good heading into the final descent of the day, only to burn out before he could catch Kuss.
Wouter Poels, who will take the polka dot jersey off Michael Woods, clinched third place in a sprint finish that also included Nairo Quintana.
Meanwhile, Pogacar expertly handled the general classification group, with Rigoberto Uran (EF Education First) and Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) unable to close the gap.
It was a bad day for Guillaume Martin, who dropped from second in the GC to down to ninth, almost eight minutes adrift of Pogacar.
"I was really suffering a lot in this tour, I just didn't feel like I had the spice in the legs," said Kuss.
"Today I knew it was finishing where I live, I was really motivated for the stage and finally I had really good legs again, I'm so happy.
"It was a hard day in the breakaway, I know the climb fairly well, I don't ride it so much in training because it's so hard. I knew the beginning was really tough, if I went there and got a gap I could try and hold it to the finish."
Supp's aim will now be to back Jonas Vingegaard, who kept Jumbo-Visma's dwindling GC hopes alive by moving himself into third, though he is still some way back from defending champion Pogacar.
STAGE RESULT
1. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) 5:12:06
2. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) +0:23
3. Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) +1:15
4. Ion Izagirre (Astana) same time
5. Ruben Guerreiro (EF Education First) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 62:07:18
2. Rigoberto Uran (EF Education First) +5:18
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) +5:32
Points Classification
1. Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 279
2. Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange) 207
3. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) 174
King of the Mountains
1. Wouter Poels (Bahrain Victorious) 74
2. Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation) 66
3. Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) 64
What's next?
Monday sees the final rest day of this year's race, with Le Tour resuming with a 169km route from Pas de la Case to Saint-Gaudens on Tuesday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is refusing to put pressure on himself as the Milwaukee Bucks aim to get back into contention in the NBA Finals.
The Bucks – in search of their first championship since 1971 – have left themselves with a lot to do heading into Game 3, with the Phoenix Suns holding a 2-0 lead in the series.
Though back on home turf for Game 3 and Game 4, the Bucks do not have history on their side. Indeed, in Finals series, teams that have taken a 2-0 lead have gone on to win the title 31 out of 35 times (88.6 per cent).
The Suns are used to seeing out victory from this position, too, having led 2-0 in three consecutive series.
However, Bucks superstar Antetokounmpo, whose 28.1 points per game ranked fifth in the NBA in the regular season, insists Milwaukee must enjoy the occasion in order to get themselves back in the fight.
"Obviously, I know it's the Finals; we all understand what kind of game we are getting ourselves into," Antetokounmpo told reporters, as quoted by ESPN.
"So, we know what we have got to do. But at the end of the day, you've got to keep it light. You cannot tell yourself, 'Oh, it's the Finals, you've got to do this, there's so much pressure, man.'
"No, it's still basketball. It's easy to say, hard to do; but at the same time, you have to try to approach it that way. Just got to keep it light, got to keep the ball light, got to keep the atmosphere light.
"Once we go out there and you see the fans, you know that you understand what kind of game you're into. But personally, one thing that helps me that I do is keep it light and enjoy that.
"Knowing I enjoy things, I really put my heart into it. If I don't enjoy it, I'm just going through the motions. So, I just try to enjoy it, enjoy this, try to enjoy that I'm here.
"We have come a long way to be in this position, and we've got to try to make the best out of it. That's what we did, I guess, in the first round, in the second round, in the third round. That's what we'll do now, and hopefully, it works out in our favour."
Devin Booker led the Suns with 31 points in Game 2, but veteran Chris Paul – excelling in his Finals debut – continues to be the primary topic of conversation in Phoenix.
“Watching film with [Paul], he'll call something out that was so far away from the ball or what happened," Booker said.
"He’s going to make sure he gets right back to it. He's going to rewind it, no matter if it was a minute, two minutes ago in the game, and stress it. Those are the details I'm talking about that we've learned can make or break a game for you. And in this time of the year, you need every game you can get.
"It's the highest level of basketball, and for me, it's been a new experience. It's been a joy to be a part of it and dissecting the game and doctoring the game in that regard."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Phoenix Suns – Devin Booker
Booker has been outstanding for the Suns this postseason and has averaged 29.0 points in this series so far, but he has turned in two very contrasting displays.
The sixth-year guard, involved in the playoffs for the first time, shot a disappointing 38.1 per cent in Game 1 but made 10 of 10 free throws. His Game 2 field-goal percentage increased to 48.0 per cent – carried by seven-of-12 shooting from three – yet he did not visit the foul line once.
Should he be able to combine the two, both drawing fouls and making shots, Milwaukee can have no answer for Booker.
Milwaukee Bucks – Giannis Antetokounmpo
After a slightly unconvincing Game 1 on his return from injury, Antetokounmpo was back to his best in Game 2 with a playoff career-high 42 points on 68.2 per cent shooting – also matching his best postseason field-goal percentage, set against the Boston Celtics in 2019.
But the Bucks still lost, as their second and third men failed to fire. Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton – one out of form, the other inconsistent – are averaging a combined 34.0 points per game and 36.4 per cent field-goal percentage as the team's starting backcourt, while Paul and Booker are together delivering 56.5 points on 49.4 per cent shooting.
Those numbers simply have to improve to keep Antetokounmpo in games; the two-time MVP might be looking to "keep it light" but needs the platform to be a difference-maker.
Two-time former Masters champion Bubba Watson has withdrawn from the Open Championship.
Watson, who finished sixth last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, said he had come into contact with somebody who has been confirmed as having the COVID-19 virus.
The 42-year-old must therefore stay at home in the United States rather than travel to England for the major, which begins at Royal St George's in Kent on Thursday.
Watson posted a statement to his social media accounts that read: "I am disappointed to announce I will not compete at the Open Championship next week due to having direct exposure to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
"While I am vaccinated and have passed the required pre-travel COVID test, not enough time has passed for me to comfortably join the charter flight and risk exposure to the other players and personnel on board."
He added: "Like many of you, I look forward to watching the Open Championship on TV. Since I will be watching from the comfort of my couch I would not mind seeing the field have to deal with a little rain and strong winds!
"Best of luck to all the players. I look forward to returning to the Open Championship next year."
Watson won the Masters in 2012 and 2014 but has often struggled at The Open, which is the only one of the four majors at which he has failed to register a top-five finish. Indeed, his best performance has been a tie for 23rd place at the 2012 tournament.
Elena-Gabriela Ruse claimed the first WTA singles title of her career as she beat Andrea Petkovic in the final of the Hamburg European Open.
Appearing in her maiden tour final, the Romanian qualifier ran out a 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 victor in just over two hours on the German clay.
Petkovic, meanwhile, failed to end a six-year wait for a title spanning back to success at the Antwerp Diamond Games in February 2015.
Only a tie break could separate the two players in nip and tuck first set in Hamburg that saw each player break service once.
And it was 23-year-old Ruse who came out on top, with a second service win percentage of 60.9 to Petkovic's 46.7 across the entire set eventually telling.
The second set was more chaotic, with Petkovic breaking her opponent on two occasions as she attempted to find a way back into the match.
However, the German was broken three times herself, most crucially in the 10th and final game as Ruse claimed it 6-4 to win the WTA 250 event.
Ruse's first tour win is sure to provide a boost to her current WTA ranking of 198, 68 places below her opponent in Sunday's final.
An impressive run to the final also saw her beat top seed Dayana Yastremska and American Danielle Collins.
South Africa's preparations for their upcoming series against the British and Irish Lions have been dealt a blow after captain Siya Kolisi and five other players tested positive for coronavirus.
Dan Du Preez, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Scarra Ntubeni and Makazole Mapimpi have been forced into self-isolation alongside their skipper and three members of team management.
An SA Rugby statement read: "With the entire squad and management team confined to their rooms since Monday, the possibility of transmission through close contact has been mitigated."
Over 20 members of the Springboks' squad have now returned positive tests in the build-up to the three-match series, which is scheduled to begin on July 24.
That includes head coach Jacques Nienaber, who is unable to work with his players as he continues to self-isolate.
Instead, South Africa's director of rugby Rassie Erasmus is taking charge of training sessions for the remaining members of the squad.
Nienaber said: "We are delighted to be able to return to the field and resume our preparations for the Lions series.
"It has been a challenging week with the Test against Georgia on Friday night cancelled and the entire squad self-isolating for a few days as a preventative measure, so the players cannot wait to get back on the park.
"The Test against Georgia was important for us with an eye on preparing to face the Lions, but these are extraordinary times and we have to adapt as a team. I have to commend the players and management for that.
"We are a tight-knit coaching team and everyone takes responsibility in their respective roles. It is also great to have Rassie steering the ship while I am away.
"He has been part of the system for several years now and he guided most of these players to the World Cup title in 2019, so the team is in great hands."
Dustin Poirier has no doubt he will face Conor McGregor again "in the octagon or on the sidewalk" following his UFC 264 victory in their trilogy fight.
Poirier was awarded the win after McGregor suffered an apparent broken leg towards the end of the first round, leaving the octagon on a stretcher with his leg in a splint.
The Irishman continued to trash talk Poirier even after the defeat. Poirier claimed McGregor repeated threats to murder him that he made in the lead-up to the fight.
Asked in his post-fight media conference if the rivalry was over, Poirier replied: "We are gonna fight again whether it's in the octagon or on the sidewalk.
"You don't say the stuff he said. He was saying that he was going to murder me, you don't say stuff like that.
"There is a chance somebody could die and you don't say that, you don't wish it on anybody."
UFC president Dana White said Poirier would fight for the lightweight title, which is held by Charles Oliveira.
However, Poirier is in no rush to start preparing for such a challenge.
"I feel like I've been preparing for a fight since last year, because I was getting ready for Conor in January, I fought him, as soon as the fight ended I knew that was next so I got home from Abu Dhabi and started training for that fight," he added.
"I had one trip I got to decompress a little bit but I was getting ready to fight him again.
"The last thing I want to do is go home and sign a contract and start getting ready right away. I just need to get home and think about some things and spend some time with my family."
Gerrit Cole returned to Houston with venom as he tossed down 11 strikeouts to lead the New York Yankees to a 1-0 win over the Astros in the MLB on Saturday.
It was a star match-up between Cole, who was with the Astros from 2018 to 2019, and Zack Greinke at Minute Maid Park.
Cole, who came into the game with a 6.46 ERA across his last three starts, starred early before Aaron Judge homered in the third from Greinke.
The Yankees pitcher kept the Astros scoreless across seven innings, the first time he had achieved that since May 27.
But he completed a shutout, tossing down 129 pitches, the most by any pitcher in a single game over the past two seasons.
Double grand slam in Dodgers rout
The Los Angeles Dodgers piled on the runs with a 22-1 thrashing of the Arizona Diamondbacks highlighted by grand slams from Mookie Betts and Justin Turner. The Dodgers finished with eight home runs, while Walker Buehler starred on the mound with seven strikeouts.
The 22 runs scored by the Dodgers tied an LA record and are the most runs ever scored in a game at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers also become the first team in MLB history to hit two grand slams in a game twice in the same season.
The Cincinnati Reds won 4-3 over the Milwaukee Brewers buoyed by Nicholas Castellanos' three-run home run, a Eugenio Suarez solo shot in the ninth inning secured the victory.
The St Louis Cardinals scored five runs in one innings, with home runs from Paul Goldschmidt, Tommy Edman and Paul DeJong as they won 6-0 at the Chicago Cubs.
Cruel blow for Braves slugger
Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr will undergo season-ending knee surgery after he tore his right ACL jumping for an outfield catch during Saturday's 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins. Acuna had hit 24 home runs in the 2021 MLB season, with a majors-high 72 runs.
Brown creams 472-foot homer
Seth Brown hit a monster 472-foot home run in the fourth inning off Mike Foltynewicz as the Oakland Athletics won 8-4 over the Texas Rangers in extras. It was a game of homers, with Rangers pair Adolis Garcia and Joey Gallo striking home runs, along with the A's Stephen Piscotty with a two-run homer in the 11th inning.
Saturday's results
Tampa Bay Rays 5-2 Toronto Blue Jays
Minnesota Twins 9-4 Detroit Tigers
San Francisco Giants 10-4 Washington Nationals
Chicago White Sox 8-3 Baltimore Orioles
Oakland Athletics 8-4 Texas Rangers
Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 New York Mets
Atlanta Braves 5-4 Miami Marlins
Philadelphia Phillies 11-2 Boston Red Sox
Cleveland Indians 14-6 Kansas City Royals
Cincinnati Reds 4-3 Milwaukee Brewers
St Louis Cardinals 6-0 Chicago Cubs
New York Yankees 1-0 Houston Astros
New York Mets 4-2 Pittsburgh Pirates
Seattle Mariners 2-0 Los Angeles Angels
Colorado Rockies 3-0 San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers 22-1 Arizona Diamondbacks
Reds at Brewers
The in-form Reds (47-42) will aim to continue their impressive run against National League Central leaders, the Brewers (53-38), in the final game in their series, before the All Star break.
Dustin Poirier has won UFC 264 by TKO after Connor McGregor suffered a nasty leg injury at the end of the first round on Saturday in Las Vegas.
American Poirier was firmly in control, dominating the early exchanges, before McGregor attempted a punch and fell on his own left leg causing an apparent fracture and a doctor's stoppage.
McGregor left the octagon with a leg splint on in a stretcher, casting doubts on his future in the sport.
"He fractured in one of the checks at the beginning of the fight," Poirier said after the fight. "Then it broke on a punch, for sure.
"When I pointed at him at the beginning of the fight, that's when I checked a good kick and I felt a crack. it was probably cracked and then on the twist of the punch it finished."
Despite the defeat and being unable to stand, the Irishman continued to trash talk Poirier as he had in the lead-up to the fight when he said he would "murder" the American.
Poirier added: "There's no holds barred with the trash talk but murder is something you don't clown around with.
"This guy was saying 'he was going to murder me, I was going to leave her in a coffin'. You don’t talk to people like that. I hope this guy gets home safe to his beautiful family."
He added: "This guy's a dirtbag… Karma's not a b****, she's a mirror and this guy's said the wrong s*** and I've been busting my ass."
Poirier had no doubt he deserved the win despite the circumstances of the victory, in the latest edition of their trilogy.
"Sometimes these things happen. I beat the guy," he said.
Poirier becomes the eighth fighter in UFC history to earn 20 wins.
The Milwaukee Bucks may be trailing 2-0 in the NBA Finals but star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to keep things relaxed ahead of Game 3 on Sunday.
Antetokounmpo was outstanding with 42 points and 12 rebounds in Thursday's 118-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns which left the Bucks 2-0 down ahead of the series moving to Milwaukee.
Out of the 35 sides who have trailed 2-0 in NBA Finals history, only four have lifted the title, but despite that the Greek star was in a relaxed mood ahead of Game 3.
"I know it's the Finals," Antetokounmpo said at Saturday's media conference. "We know what we've got to do but at the end of the day, you've got to keep it light.
"You cannot tell yourself, 'Oh, it's the Finals. You got to do this. There's so much pressure, man.' No, like it's still basketball.
"It's easy to say, hard to do; but at the same time, you have to try to approach it that way. Just got to keep it light. Got to keep the ball light. You've got to keep the atmosphere light."
Antetokounmpo backed under-fire team-mate Khris Middleton, who only managed 11 points in Game 2, when pressed on his performances.
The 26-year-old also said he approached Game 2 with more aggression, leading to his improved output after 20 points in Game 1, which marked his return from a knee hyperextension injury.
"I was just trying to be more aggressive," he said. "That's all and we didn’t win the game, so it doesn’t really matter.
"From Game 1 to Game 2, I was just trying to be more aggressive and involved in actions."
Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams said small forward Torrey Craig's status was uncertain ahead of Game 3 after twisting his right knee in the third quarter on Thursday.
"He got some testing done yesterday," Williams said. "All of that came back clean, but he's still sore. So I can't make much of a statement on his availability or anything like that."
Warren Gatland hopes the British and Irish Lions have seen off the worst of the chaos they might experience on their tour of South Africa after a turbulent week.
A case of COVID-19 in the Lions management has caused disruption, while the team were due to face the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday, but the opposition had to pull out due to coronavirus cases within their own squad.
A spate of infections in the South Africa squad saw the Springboks' planned match against Georgia called off, but the Lions at least got a game, with the Sharks agreeing to face the tourists for the second time in four days.
The Lions had delivered a 54-7 thumping in Wednesday's first game, played at Ellis Park, but a shift in venue to Loftus Versfeld and wholesale personnel changes on each team led to a very different outcome on Saturday.
A 71-31 win for the Lions resulted from a game that was tied at 26-26 at half-time, with a red card for the Sharks' Jaden Hendrikse early in the second half transforming the momentum.
Coach Gatland was asked whether it was proving to be the most chaotic week of his career, and he said: "It probably is.
"If anything else happens on the tour that's as chaotic as you say this week has been, that would probably surprise me."
He admitted, however, that it was still unclear who the Lions' next opponents would be, with a game against South Africa A currently scheduled for the coming Wednesday, and a clash with the Stormers set for Saturday.
"I think there's a good chance they'll switch the Stormers and South Africa A games around, but nothing's been confirmed yet," Gatland said. "We've just got to go with the flow and react to whatever's thrown at us."
Gatland is hoping Finn Russell can recover from an Achilles injury to play a part later in the tour, although he appears unlikely to play in any matches before the three-Test series against the world champion Springboks begins on July 24 in Cape Town.
The Scotland fly-half is out of Gatland's immediate plans and England newcomer Marcus Smith has been called in to provide cover.
Russell had an injection on Saturday, said Gatland, describing the injury as "not a strained Achilles but a slight little tear".
"It's going to keep him out for the next couple of weeks," Gatland said. "He's going to be in a boot for the next five days and when he comes out of that he'll have some more treatment.
"If he makes good progress, we'll assess him going forward. If he's not, then there's a possibility he may go home. It's a wait-and-see situation with him."
Gatland felt the Lions had been messy with some of their play in the first half against the Sharks, which saw them concede four tries.
He said: "I think we caused a few of our own problems with some of the turnovers and a couple of interceptions and a couple of poor passes that allowed them in the game to put us under pressure.
"We were just a bit edgy and a bit untidy, particularly in the first half, which allowed them to stay in the game. We just need to make sure we're a bit more accurate and tidier and I thought we did that a lot better in the second half."
Novak Djokovic is wary of the threat "red hot" Wimbledon final rival Matteo Berrettini poses to his Golden Slam ambitions.
Chasing a sixth title at the All England Club, and bidding to become the fourth man in the Open Era to record a hat-trick of successive Wimbledon triumphs, Djokovic could hardly be set to face a tougher opponent.
Berrettini won the Queen's Club title on grass in June and has made good on many experts' prediction that he would be the player to come through the bottom half of the SW19 draw.
Should the 25-year-old Italian carry off the title, he would become his country's first singles champion at Wimbledon.
And although Djokovic starts as a heavy favourite, looking to join Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 grand slams, it is not so preposterous to think there could be an upset.
Berrettini leads the way in aces with 101 for the tournament, which puts him 38 ahead of Djokovic in third place on the list.
He has also been the second fastest server, sending down a delivery of 139mph. Djokovic sits top in terms of points won on first serve, his 85 per cent success record putting him a shade ahead of Berrettini, fifth with a very healthy 82 per cent.
There have been suspicions in the past that Berrettini had a limited game in terms of its dimensions, but he has put paid to that talk in recent times, showing admirable variation, which together with the confidence that is soaring makes him a genuine threat to the world number one.
Djokovic has not lost at Wimbledon against a fellow top-10 player since his defeat to Andy Murray in the 2013 final, and if he is seeking positive omens ahead of Sunday's Centre Court showdown that is certainly one, as is the fact he beat world number nine Berrettini in four sets in their French Open quarter-final in early June.
The 34-year-old from Belgrade is aiming to complete the third leg of a staggering bid to win all four majors and the Olympic Games singles title. The Golden Slam is a feat only ever previously achieved by Steffi Graf in 1988.
But Djokovic senses danger when he looks at Berrettini, more so than when they met on clay in Paris.
He pointed out: "Obviously grass favours him even more, favours his game. If he serves big, as he did throughout the entire tournament, it's tough to break his serve, it's tough to go into the rhythm, to find a good positioning to return, make him play.
"But I believe in my return. I think return has served me very well throughout my career. Hopefully I'll be able to get a lot of those serves back and wait for my chances."
Djokovic added: "It's really anybody's game. He's arguably the guy who has been in the best form on grass courts this year, winning Queen's. He's red hot. It's going to be a great battle."
It would be a sixth Wimbledon title for Djokovic should he claw his way past Berrettini, who is seeking a first grand slam title.
In the Open Era, only Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer have won three or more successive Wimbledon titles among the men, while Djokovic, in this potentially historic year of his, is bidding to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win each of the first three slams in a season.
Berrettini's career record does not come near to competing with that of the player who will stand on the opposite side of the net. On Sunday the Rome-born player will target a sixth tour title, and a third on grass.
Yet coming from Queen's Club, he was being told that a major opportunity awaited him at Wimbledon.
"I knew I could do it, but I didn't think I am going to do it because this is how I am," Berrettini said.
"I took every step really careful and slowly. I guess it was the right thing to do. Obviously the job is not done yet. I want to get the trophy now that I'm here."
The British and Irish Lions continued to pile on the points on their tour of South Africa with what proved to be an emphatic, albeit not entirely convincing, 71-31 win over the Sharks.
There was no shortage of entertainment at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, with the Sharks more than holding their own until Jaden Hendrikse got himself sent off.
Indeed, the Lions conceded four tries in the first half – as many as they had allowed in total in their three previous games combined this year.
Yet Hendrikse's dismissal proved the turning point, with the Lions' quality shining through, though Warren Gatland – who on Saturday called up England new boy Marcus Smith due to an injury for Finn Russell – will be expecting better in defence as the Springboks series approaches.
Chris Harris skipped over for his first Lions try early on, with Dan Biggar adding the extras, but the Sharks hit back in style.
Elliot Daly's mistake resulted in Anthony Volmink charging in down the left, before Thaakir Abrahams latched onto Lionel Cronje's grubber. With a game on their hands, the Lions responded in turn – captain Jamie George going over at the culmination of a rolling maul.
The scoring did not let up, with Duhan van der Merwe dragging the Lions level again after Hendrikse had crossed at the other end.
Another Lions mistake gifted Volmink a second try, yet the Sharks' defence was equally as vulnerable and Tadhg Beirne bundled through to once more level the scores..
A moment of madness from Hendrikse soon gave the Lions an advantage, though. The Sharks scrum-half elbowed Liam Williams in the head as the full-back was tackled into touch, and after checking with the TMO, referee Wayne Barnes brandished a red card.
The Lions set about making their numerical superiority count – Jack Conan driving in before Daly extended the lead, only for Werner Kok to pounce on Conor Murray's blocked kick. However, George and Beirne doubled their tallies either side of Anthony Watson taking the Lions above 50, with Tom Curry running in their 10th try.
Murray's yellow ensured both sides would finish with 14 men, though Watson had the final say with a brilliant 50-metre break.
Sharks hold their own until Hendrikse blunder
It really was a ludicrous decision from Hendrikse, who had looked sharp in the first half, to lunge in on Williams.
The Sharks – who were thrashed 54-7 in midweek but stepped up to play the Lions again after the Bulls pulled out – presented a real challenge for the Lions before the break, but Hendrikse's rashness ultimately all-but gifted the tourists victory.
Smith stunned by late call
Harlequins fly-half Smith scored 18 points as England hammered Canada at Twickenham on Saturday, though he had little time to celebrate ahead of catching a flight out to South Africa to join up with Gatland's squad.
"I can't believe it," Smith told Channel 4. "They called me into the tunnel 10 minutes ago and I don't believe it – I was shaking, I still can't believe it, it's amazing.
"We were meant to go to the football [England v Italy in Sunday's Euro 2020 final] but I will be on the plane now. It won't sink in until I get back from the tour and I will have to pinch myself on the plane.”
Marcus Smith has been called up to the British and Irish Lions squad for their tour of South Africa, as Finn Russell struggles with an Achilles tendon injury.
Fly-half Smith, 22, helped Harlequins to the Premiership title this season and made his England debut against the United States last week.
He followed up his international bow with a superb showing in a 70-14 demolition of Canada on Saturday, kicking nine conversions.
After impressing at Twickenham, Smith – following coronavirus testing – will be heading to South Africa to join up with the Lions, who faced the Sharks on Saturday in their third match of the tour, with the three-Test series against the Springboks starting later this month.
And Gatland is excited to see what Smith can bring to his squad, with Russell likely to be out for several weeks.
"Finn Russell has been managing an Achilles injury he's had for a couple of weeks, but he's not going to be 100 per cent," Gatland explained.
"He's got a slight tear in his Achilles, they're going to inject it and see if they can manage it through the next couple of weeks, as a result we're going to call up Marcus Smith to come out here on Sunday.
"He'll catch a flight, needs to be PCR tested after the [England] game and hopefully all is well. He's been absolutely outstanding, I'm a big fan of his, watched him play last year, thought he was really promising, had a great season for Harlequins.
"He's been playing regularly, winning the championship with Harlequins, playing for England now and a similar player to Finn Russell so a like-for-like replacement in a lot of ways, so he might add something exciting and new to the squad."
The wobbles of Wimbledon struck Karolina Pliskova and Ash Barty in a women's final that delivered devilish drama and a marvellously charismatic new champion.
Barty's big moment at the All England Club has finally arrived, the world number one making good on the aim she publicly set herself by landing the second grand slam of a career that could yield many more.
As she joyfully paraded the Venus Rosewater Dish around Centre Court, it hardly mattered that the 25-year-old had staggered across the winning line.
When she raced up to the players' box to hug coach Craig Tyzzer and boyfriend Garry Kissick, they were not asking why she had not got the job done in straight sets.
When Barty's thoughts turned to her hero Evonne Goolagong, and tears began to flow, all that mattered to the Queenslander was that she had achieved her tennis destiny.
But what a curious contest this was, a first women's Wimbledon singles final to go to a third set since 2012, yet it would take a real optimist – Barty, for instance – to define it as a classic.
At least it was a contest. That had been in doubt when Pliskova lost the opening 14 points. It was 4-0 in just 12 minutes, at which stage memories of the Czech's 6-0 6-0 drubbing by Iga Swiatek in May's Rome final came to mind.
Pliskova did not fire a single winner in the first six games. Barty surged a set and 3-1 ahead in 45 minutes, a 13th straight-sets women's final in the last 14 Wimbledon championships seemingly inevitable.
The pre-match favourite's nerve was holding, or so it seemed, but when Pliskova held serve to trail only 3-2 the players had split the last 10 games, and that suggested a pivot in the flow of the contest was still possible.
Rudyard Kipling's encouragement to keep your head while others might be losing theirs is engrained in Wimbledon tradition, yet doing so on the big stage is easier prescribed than achieved.
This title match was painfully short on consistent quality, with more unforced errors than winners overall (Barty: 30/29, Pliskova: 27/32) as the pressure of the occasion affected the two first-time finalists. Movie star Tom Cruise was in the crowd, and a plot twist was coming.
A chant of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" went up at 5-5 in the second set, and Pliskova went on to drop serve from 40-love, missing a straightforward enough backhand volley at the net when she had the chance to close out the game.
Serving for the title, Barty played her worst tennis of the match, and when Pliskova powered through the tie-break those still awake Down Under must have been suddenly fearing the worst.
Serving first in the third set, Barty took a look down the other end and must have been thinking: "What are you still doing here?"
But Barty swiftly established a break, Pliskova volleying lamentably into the net from close range, and this time the Aussie nerve held.
She fired an ace to bring up a first match point and the title was hers when Pliskova drove a backhand into the net, her 32nd unforced error of the match.
Having held serve in 57 of her 61 service games up to the final, Pliskova was broken six times.
Barty won the girls' Wimbledon tournament in 2011 and 10 years later has achieved a rare double by adding the women's title, joining Ann Jones, Martina Hingis and Amelie Mauresmo as the only players to do so in the Open Era.
She has joined Margaret Court and Goolagong in becoming a women's champion for Australia at the All England Club, and Barty holds the latter in the highest regard.
They share an indigenous background, and 50 years after Goolagong landed the first of her two Wimbledon titles, Barty did just enough to fend off Pliskova and add her own name to the board of champions.
Barty called it "an exceptional match right from the start", and that verdict can probably be put down to the adrenaline of being a newly crowned champion.
She also spoke of having managed precious little sleep ahead of the match, which might explain some of the erratic side of her performance.
And then the BBC's Sue Barker asked her about Goolagong.
"I hope I made Evonne proud," Barty said, the first tears beginning to stream.
Barty has left home to pursue this dream, having chosen to spend almost all of 2020 back in Greater Springfield, near Brisbane, away from the world's worst COVID-19 crises.
Her family have remained in Australia, and Barty has made the trip worth it with this triumph.
"I know they're at home watching. I miss them, I love them," Barty said. "I can't wait to get home to them in a few months' time and really celebrate."
She suggested celebrations in her bubble would be "low key". The Barty party will have to wait.
Bauke Mollema reigned supreme as the Tour de France entered the Pyrenees, storming to a superb solo victory on stage 14 from Carcassonne to Quillan.
Mollema secured a second Tour win after his triumph on the ride to Le Puy-en-Velay in 2017, with this success coming in similar fashion.
The Dutchman made a decisive break, riding the final 40 kilometres out on his own at an average speed of 43.4km/h for that section, while he took on the last 25km in solitary fashion four years ago.
"Its super nice. It's amazing to win a stage again, I'm super happy," said a Trek-Segafredo's Mollema after prevailing by one minute and four seconds from Patrick Konrad and Sergio Andres Higuita in second and third respectively on the 183.7km route.
"It was as super hard day. It took so long until the break finally went
"It was a nice group but we were not working together so well. So I thought, 'let's go'. I did like 45km alone so it was hard, but I'm super happy."
Guillaume Martin came in +1:28 down in the chasing group, an effort that saw him move up to second in the general classification.
Martin, of Cofidis, is the only rider within five minutes of reigning champion Tadej Pogacar in the Yellow Jersey, making up enough time on the final climb of the Col de Saint-Louis to drop Rigoberto Uran down to third.
Michael Woods and Wout Poels were part of the 14-rider breakaway from which Mollema emerged and pushed their King of the Mountains claims, battling for points in each of the classified climbs.
Israel Start-Up Nation's Woods claimed the haul he needed to take the lead in that contest from Nairo Quintana and Poels, even if this success was somewhat tempered by him crashing on the descent of the Col du Castel.
Once the Canadian re-joined the breakaway it soon became clear he and his colleagues had no answer to Mollema.
STAGE RESULT
1. Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) 04:16:29
2. Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe) +1:04
3. Sergio Andres Higuita (EF Education-Nippo) +1:04
4. Mattia Cattaneo (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +1:06
5. Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation) +1:10
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 56:50:12
2. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) +4:04
3. Rigoberto Uran (EF Education First) +5:18
Points Classification
1. Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 279
2. Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange) 187
3. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) 174
King of the Mountains
1. Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation) 54
2. Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) 50
3. Wouter Poels (Bahrain Victorious) 49
What's next?
Sunday's 15th stage is set to be a particularly gruelling affair, with three category one climbs included in the 191.3km ride from Ceret to Andorre-la-Vieille. The second of those is Port d'Envalira, the highest point on this year's Tour at 2,408m above sea level.
An emotional Ash Barty said she hoped she had done Evonne Goolagong Cawley after realising her dream of winning Wimbledon with a battling defeat of Karolina Pliskova.
The world number one became the first Australian woman to be crowned champion at the All England Club since her mentor Goolagong Cawley 41 years ago with a 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 victory.
Barty won the opening 14 points of the match as she handled the nerves better than eighth seed Pliskova on Saturday.
Pliskova fought back from a break down twice to win the second set, but the top seed regrouped to claim a second grand slam title two years after her first at the French Open.
The Queensland native is only the fourth junior Wimbledon champion to go on and win the women's title and her triumph came 50 years after Goolagong Cawley's maiden success at SW19.
An emotional Barty said in her on-court interview: "This is incredible. I have to start with Kaja [Pliskova]. Congratulations on an incredible tournament to you and your team. I love testing myself against you and I'm sure we'll have many many matches.
"I want to thank everyone in this stadium. You've made my dream so special, thank you very much.
"My team is incredible and they've been with me every step of the way, and for them to be able to travel with me and essentially be away from home for eight or nine months.
"Craig [her coach Tyzzer] is our captain. He is exceptional at what he does and I love him to death.
"It took me a long time to verbalise, to dare to dream it and say it. I didn't sleep a lot last night, I was thinking of all the what-ifs. I hope I made Evonne proud."
It was a second defeat in a major final for former world number one Pliskova, who was also beaten in the 2016 US Open championship match.
World number one Ash Barty became the first Australian woman to win Wimbledon for 41 years by beating Karolina Pliskova in a tense battle on Centre Court.
The top seed realised her dream of being crowned champion at the All England Club for the first time in a rollercoaster 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 victory.
Pliskova warmed to the task after making a nightmare start in a clash between two first-time finalists at SW19, but Barty was not to be denied her second grand slam title two years after her first at the French Open.
The Queenslander ended a wait for an Australian woman to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish that stretched back to 1980, when her mentor Evonne Goolagong Cawley won the title.
Pliskova fought back from a break down twice to win the second set, yet Barty regrouped to become only the fourth junior Wimbledon champion to go on and win the women's title.
Barty began with a commanding hold and followed that up with a break to love, sealed with a backhand winner down the line following a sumptuous lob.
A second Barty ace put her 3-0 up and although Pliskova finally won a first point at the 15th attempt, a tentative double fault left the favourite only two games away from wrapping up the first set.
Pliskova was finally on the board at 4-1 when the favourite was broken in an error-strewn game, but the Czech's usually venomous serve was not firing and Barty served out the set at the second attempt.
The 2016 US Open runner-up continued to look uncertain, with Barty taking advantage to go a break up at 2-1, but Pliskova hit back impressively, unleashing a thunderous forehand winner down the line and sealing a swift break back when Barty netted a forehand.
There was a raise of the left hand from Pliskova following a scorching backhand winner during a comfortable hold and although a poor backhand left her 6-5 down, Barty was unable to serve out the match.
Pliskova played with an increasing level of freedom, demonstrating her incredible power with deep, fearsome groundstrokes in a tie-break that ended with a double fault from Barty.
The former world number one gifted the momentum back to Barty when she missed a simple volley at the net to trail 2-0 in the decider.
Pliskova showed flashes of brilliance as she made Barty, who withdrew from the French Open last month with a hip injury, work until the end, but served it out, sealing victory when her opponent netted a backhand.
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