“It ain’t happening!”
Novak Djokovic knows a target is on his back at this year’s Wimbledon, where he is chasing a record-extending 24th major title. Following Tuesday’s quarter-final victory against Andrey Rublev, the Serbian delivered a punchline, “It ain’t happening!” in his on-court interview, when asked about his fellow competitors aim to stop his run at the season’s third major.
The World No. 2 doubled down on his statement in his post-match press conference.
“I don’t want to sound arrogant, but of course I would consider myself the favourite,” Djokovic said. “Judging with the results I had in my career here, previous four occasions of Wimbledon that I won, I do consider [myself] the favourite.”
Djokovic will next compete in his 46th major semi-final Friday against Italian Jannik Sinner. It will be the 21-year-old’s maiden major semi-final, but he will have reason to believe he can be the one to upset the seven-time champion. Last year, Sinner led Djokovic two-sets-to-love at Wimbledon before the Belgrade-native stormed back to win.
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Djokovic, who could tie Roger Federer at eight Wimbledon crowns this fortnight, has not lost on Centre Court since the 2013 final. Djokovic is on a 33-match winning streak at The All England Club, dating back to his quarter-final retirement in 2017. The last time Djokovic lost a completed match at Wimbledon was in 2016, when he fell to Sam Querrey in the third round.
Although the Serbian has enjoyed great success at The Championships, not every year is the same. The 94-time tour-level titlist stated that he is not sliding on the grass as much this year.
“I think as the tournament goes on, I think us players, we feel more comfortable moving on the grass. So for some of us, like Sinner, for example, and [Carlos] Alcaraz, they like to slide. I think you become more comfortable going for the slide,” Djokovic said. “Maybe at the beginning you feel like walking on eggs a little bit because the grass is also more slippery at the beginning, particularly if you play indoors under the roof.
“I think that this is the least that I was sliding on grass ever, to be honest. Whether that’s conscious or unconscious, I’m not really sure. I’m still yet trying to figure out. Sometimes sliding is not the best option on grass. Sometimes it is. It just depends on the ball and the situation.”
One way or another, Djokovic has made all the right adjustments this fortnight. After surviving a serving barrage from Hubert Hurkacz across two days in the fourth round, Djokovic was forced to rally from a set down Tuesday against Rublev. The second seed extended his 4-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead against Rublev, who Djokovic has beaten three consecutive times, including at this year’s Australian Open. But the Serbian feels that the World No. 7 brought a new level to SW19.
“It was like a dogfight,” Djokovic said. “At some points of the match were so long and exhausting. Those games at the end of the third set [is] where basically the match was decided. I felt like huge relief when I won the third set, and in the fourth again made the crucial break and held my nerves till the end. For sure the best quality tennis Rublev has played that I have faced him in the previous matches in Grand Slams.”