Reuters
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 9, 2021 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts during his semi final match against Canada’s Denis Shapovalov REUTERS/Toby Melville
Reuters
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 9, 2021 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts during his semi final match against Canada’s Denis Shapovalov REUTERS/Toby Melville
The Wimbledon Championships is the oldest Grand Slam on the tennis calendar. And in addition to being known for that, they are also known for their traditions – and how strictly they follow them.
However, the All England Club looks set to break one of those traditions at the Men’s singles final this Sunday.
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Gentlemen’s singles final at Wimbledon to have first female umpire
Although various female umpires have officiated matches in the men’s category at Wimbledon, none of them have done so for the final; this responsibility always fell to a male umpire.
However, the final between Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini looks set to have the first female umpire in the tournament’s history.
According to the Daily Mail, Marija Cicak looks the favorite to take the role on Sunday. During her career, the Croat officiated the 2014 women’s final at Wimbledon between Petra Kvitova and Eugenie Bouchard. In addition, she officiated the 2015 US Open Women’s final and the 2016 Olympic Games women’s singles’ final.
Although she hasn’t officiated a Men’s final at a Grand Slam, Cicak looks most likely to make history on July 11.
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Can Novak Djokovic clinch his sixth Wimbledon title?
Top-seeded Djokovic is on a roll in 2021. After clinching the Australian Open and French Open, he stormed to the final at Wimbledon by beating Denis Shapovalov in the semifinal. The Serb faced tough moments before clinching the win in straight sets against the 10th seeded Canadian.
Although he faces a stiff test in Berrettini in the final, Djoker can take confidence from the fact that he beat him in the French Open quarterfinal earlier this year.
Reuters
Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 9, 2021 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his quarter final match against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
However, with the occasion of a final, Berrettini could be a more lethal competitor than his French Open outing. The #7 seed is nine years younger than Djokovic, which could also play to his strengths in terms of energy.
Should the World No. 1 win on Sunday, he will equal Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with 20 Grand Slam victories. While the form guide may point towards a Djokovic victory, Berrettini will not be a pushover for the Serb.
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