WIMBLEDON – Novak Djokovic looked like he was a bit surprised by the question.
And maybe he should have been.
The question was basically: are you the favorite to win the championship? at Wimbledon? Of course, there is still work to be done to collect this trophy.
First, Djokovic, 36, must beat No. 8 seed Jannik Sinner, 21, on Friday, marking the widest age gap between two men’s semifinalists the All England Club in the professional era that began in 1968.
And after that Djokovic would have to beat the winner of the other game of the day – #1 Carlos Alcaraz or No. 3 Daniil Medvedev – in the final on Sunday.
So this was Djokovic’s response: “I don’t want to sound arrogant, but of course I would call myself a favourite.”
But what Djokovic could have said was too polite: “Come on my friend. Do you really want to ask that? Of course, I assume that I will win the title. And you should count on me winning the title. And everyone should expect me to win the title.”
First, look at his performances compared to the other three men still in the Grand Slam tournament on grass:
—Djokovic has won seven Wimbledon titles. The other three guys won zero overall.
—Djokovic has reached his 12th Wimbledon semi-final. The other three guys have never played in one.
—Djokovic has won 23 men’s Grand Slam titles so far this year, including both. The other three guys have won two in total: Medvedev at US Open 2021, Alcaraz at US Open 2022.
– Djokovic will take part in his 46th major semifinal on Friday, equaling Roger Federer’s record in the men’s. The other three guys have brought their total to 10: Medvedev is in his sixth, Alcaraz in his third, Sinner in his first.
And then there’s this: Djokovic is head-to-head with a total of 12:5 against the other three guys. He leads Sinner 2-0, including a win in last year’s Wimbledon quarter-finals. Sinner won the first two sets but lost the lead and lost in five sets.
After eliminating No.7 Andrey Rublev in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, Djokovic was asked during his on-pitch interview how it feels to be constantly the player everyone else is trying to beat.
“I know they…want to win,” he said. “But it’s not happening. Quiet.”
One thing Djokovic is benefiting from these days, unlike most of his tour times, is that he no longer has to deal with Federer, who announced his retirement last year, and currently doesn’t have to worry about Rafael Nadal, who has been sidelined since January with a bad hip and has indicated 2024 will be his last season when he can return to competition.
Next, Djokovic, who has won a total of 26 consecutive Grand Slam games and 33 at Wimbledon, will try to find the solution. Sinner will be seen as one of the leading representatives of the next generation of sport.
Djokovic’s scouting report on Sinner: “He’s so young, so of course it’s expected that he will improve. I think he’s definitely improving on serve. He served better. Of course it makes a difference on grass. He’s a very complete player.
Sinner’s description of the encounter with Djokovic: “It’s also a bit mental, isn’t it? When you play against Novak, it’s always difficult to play…especially (at) Grand Slams.”
At 20, Alcaraz is even younger than Sinner, against whom he is already developing a rivalry thanks to some exciting matches. And Alcaraz has achieved more so far. But he wants to do a lot more in this sport.
He and Medvedev, 27, offer contrasting styles that could make for a scintillating match. Still, all eyes are on Friday – and, as most suspect, Sunday as well. will be on Djokovic.
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