Man on a mission: Novak Djokovic bids for 8th Wimbledon title and 24th Grand Slam trophy
London, July 2
Listen to Novak Djokovic’s opponents explain why he is as successful as he is — why he will begin his pursuit of a fifth consecutive and eighth overall Wimbledon championship tomorrow; why he also will be attempting to claim an Open era-record 24th Grand Slam trophy over the coming fortnight on the All England Club’s grass courts — and they’ll offer plenty of answers.
His best-in-the-game return of serve. His dangerous two-handed backhand. His elasticity. His stamina. His defence. His ability to read someone else’s intentions, get to where a ball is headed and send it back with force, a combination Casper Ruud described this way after losing to Djokovic in the French Open final: “He sort of just goes into this mode where he just becomes, like, a wall.”
Listen to Novak Djokovic explain why he’s done what he’s done and why, at age 36, he’s still doing it, and he’ll offer a reason far less tangible and far less observable, something he mentioned during his victory speech at Roland Garros a few weeks ago.
“I try to visualise every single thing in my life and not only believe it, but really feel it with every cell in my body. And I just want to send a message out there to every young person: Be in the present moment; forget about what happened in the past; the future is something that is just going to happen,” Djokovic said. “But if you want a better future, you create it. Take the means in your hands. Believe it. Create it.”
Speaking that day about his own hopes and dreams as a 7-year-old kid, Djokovic noted two primary goals: getting to No. 1 and winning Wimbledon. He’s already been No. 1 for more weeks than any man or woman in the half-century of computerised rankings. Now he will try to pull even with Roger Federer by earning title No. 8 at the oldest of the four Grand Slams. — AP
Top contenders for men’s crown
NOVAK DJOKOVIC (SERBIA)
World ranking: 2
Despite turning 36 in May, Djokovic has shown no signs of slowing down after winning a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam title at the French Open. With Roger Federer retired and Rafa Nadal nursing an ageing body, Djokovic is the last of the ‘Big Three’ keeping the door firmly shut on a new generation of players looking to upset the established order. The Serbian has struggled with hamstring and elbow issues this year but shown that pain thresholds are not insurmountable while his mental resilience shines through when he is backed into a corner. Having won the Wimbledon title at the last four editions to take his tally to seven, Djokovic will be gunning for Federer’s record of eight men’s wins.
I don’t feel more relaxed, to be honest. I still feel hungry for success, for more Grand Slams, more achievements in tennis. Novak Djokovic
CARLOS ALCARAZ (SPAIN)
World ranking: 1
Alcaraz played only one grasscourt tournament last year but his electric performances in the first week of Wimbledon showed the claycourt specialist can adapt quickly to the unfamiliar surface. The Spaniard was the top seed at the Queen’s Club Championships and was seen gingerly adapting to the slippery surface before making it his own in his ultimately successful quest for the title and the world No. 1 ranking. For a player who was competing in just his third grasscourt tournament, the 20-year-old showed that he has an aggressive net game to thrive on grass. “To know that I’m (capable of) a good level on grass, obviously (to be) champion of every tournament feels special,” he said.
I’m coming here to Wimbledon with a lot of confidence. But obviously for me the main favourite is Djokovic. He always make everything seem easy. Carlos Alcaraz
DANIIL MEDVEDEV (RUSSIA)
World ranking: 3
If there was one player who was glad his claycourt season was over despite winning a title in Rome, it was Medvedev who has never come to grips with the slow surface. Medvedev was unable to play at Wimbledon last year due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players despite being world No. 2 at the time. At the tune-up tournament in Halle, he became the first player to rack up 40 tour-level wins this year, sounding a warning to the rest of the field.
Top contenders for women’s crown
IGA SWIATEK (POLAND)
World ranking: 1
There will be a sense of deja vu for Swiatek who arrives at the All England Club as world No. 1 and fresh from her French Open triumph for the second year running, but she will hope to master Wimbledon’s slick lawns this time around. Swiatek, who won the Wimbledon junior title in 2018, has dominated the tour but the majority of her success has come on hardcourts and clay. The 22-year-old exited last year’s Championships in the third round and is yet to demonstrate her strengths consistently on grass.
ARYNA SABALENKA (BELARUS)
World ranking: 2
The big-hitting Belarusian has polished her game and become less erratic with her shot-making, which helped her win the Australian Open. The 25-year-old has also reduced what seemed to be an insurmountable gap to top-ranked Swiatek during the claycourt swing, beating her in the Madrid final. A Wimbledon semifinalist in 2021, Sabalenka could not compete at last year’s Championships due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players and will need to block out the noise to win a second Major this year.
PETRA KVITOVA (CZECH REPUBLIC)
World ranking: 9
Kvitova won the second of her two Wimbledon crowns nine years ago but showed rivals she is ready to bid for a third after winning the German Open without dropping a set to claim her sixth grasscourt title and 31st overall. The 33-year-old, who stunned Elena Rybakina to win the Miami Open, has not reached a Wimbledon quarterfinals since her title run in 2014. Kvitova remains one of the biggest threats on grass, however, and has now won 12 of her last 13 matches on the surface.
Venus going strong at 43
Twenty-six years after Venus Williams made her Wimbledon debut, the five-time champion will be back on Centre Court once again tomorrow and the 43-year-old American said she could even play until she is 50.
“It’s never been done before so if there is anyone who could do it, it would be me,” Williams said ahead of her showdown with fellow wildcard Elina Svitolina.
Her sister Serena bowed out of the sport at the US Open last year as the greatest female player of the Open era with 23 Grand Slam titles. Venus, however, has soldiered on through injuries despite falling out of the top 1,000 in the rankings at one stage last year, but she has no plans of following her younger sister into retirement any time soon.
Following an appearance in Auckland in January, she took time off for six months to recover from a hamstring injury and has played only three matches on grass, arriving at the All England Club with a rank of 554.
“I haven’t played a lot of matches in the last few years,” Williams said. “I put my head down and put even more work in and got myself in a much better position.”
Of those three matches, her only win came against Camila Giorgi — a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist — in Birmingham. But Williams will take heart in coming out on top despite knee problems after a gruelling battle that lasted over three hours. Reuters
4 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic has won the Wimbledon title at the last four editions
7 Djokovic has seven titles at Wimbledon, just one short of Roger Federer’s record eight wins
44.7 Million pounds — the total prize money this year. The men’s and women’s singles champions will get £2.35 each
Major matches on Day 1
Men’s singles
Novak Djokovic vs Pedro Cachin; Jannik Sinner vs Juan Manuel Cerundolo; David Goffin vs Nick Kyrgios; Laurent Lokoli vs Casper Ruud
Women’s singles
Iga Swiatek vs Zhu Lin; Venus Williams vs Elina Svitolina; Sofia Kenin vs Coco Gauff; Jessica Pegula vs Lauren Davis
