Novak Djokovic is gearing up for his 20th Wimbledon, which will be his latest attempt at winning an increasingly elusive 25th Grand Slam title. The Serbian great was seemingly unstoppable until the 2024 Australian Open, winning seven out of 12 Grand Slam titles before that and looked set to ease past Margaret Court’s record for most Major singles wins. However, Djokovic is yet to add to his tally since he 2023 US Open, having gone 2024 without winning a single Grand Slam and being knocked out in the semi-finals of the Australian Open and French Open this year.
Djokovic has stated that Wimbledon is probably the best chance he has to add to his tally. A win this year would draw him level with Roger Federer’s record for most men’s singles titles at the Championships, apart from making him the oldest Grand Slam winner of all time.
“I would probably agree that Wimbledon could be the best chance because of the results I had, because of how I feel, how I play in Wimbledon, just getting that extra push mentally and motivation to perform at the highest level,” he told reporters after practise on Saturday. “Let’s see. I like the way I feel right now physically. Tennis-wise I’ve been playing good on the practice sessions. Obviously completely different when you start a tournament. But yeah, I’ll try to have a very good tournament and go as far as I can.”
The emergence of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has shifted the focus away from the sixth-seeded 38 year old but he remains a genuine threat in the tournament. The last time Djokovic failed to make it to the final at Wimbledon was in 2017 and he has reached the last four in Melbourne and Paris this year.
Asked whether it felt like he was now more hunter than hunted, after being knocked off his perch by the young guns, Djokovic said his goals remained the same. “In a sense you’re always hunting because you’re always going for the titles, and in my privileged position, the records and more history,” he said.
“I do feel that I’m always in that position of going for something with the attitude of trying to win rather than trying to defend,” said Djokovic.
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