By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday July 12, 2024
Wimbledon has always been a happy place for Novak Djokovic. Even in his mind.
The 37-year-old always talks of dreaming about winning the championships as a small child, and he did that yesterday after reaching his 10th final at the All England Club. Even then, before he had ever stepped on Wimbledon’s hallowed lawns, as the bombs flew overhead in war-torn Serbia, Djokovic had a vision.
It is a vision that he has nurtured, and in 2024, he’s turned it into a vision quest. Just 37 days removed from knee surgery to repair his right meniscus, Djokovic is into his sixth consecutive final at Wimbledon, and gunning for a record 25th major title and a record-tying eighth men’s singles title at Wimbledon.
History is on the line, as it always is when Djokovic takes the court at a Grand Slam. Making his 75th Grand Slam main draw appearance, the Grand Slam king is into his 37th major final.
He is keenly aware of every chapter he adds to the sports’ record books, and he uses it as fuel.
“Obviously I'm aware that Roger holds eight Wimbledons,” he said on Saturday after reaching the final alongside Carlos Alcaraz. "I hold seven. History is on the line. Also, the 25th potential Grand Slam. Of course, it serves as a great motivation, but at the same time it's also a lot of pressure and expectations.”
This year for Djokovic, Wimbledon represents new life. He was stagnant in the first half of the season, and hadn’t reached a single final in the first six months. But Wimbledon has a way of helping Djokovic reset.
In a weird way, his knee injury may have taken his mind away from his struggles and into a new challenge – a source of motivation that perhaps he was lacking at the start of the season.
“It's probably the weakest results the first six months I've had in many years,” he said. “That's okay. I had to adapt and accept that and really try to find a way out from the injury that I had and kind of regroup. Wimbledon historically there's been seasons where I wasn't maybe playing at a desired level, but then I would win a Wimbledon title and then things would change.
“Wimbledon just extracts the best of me and motivates me to really always show up and perform the best I can.”
On Alcaraz: Surprisingly Good on Grass
Ahead of his sixth career meeting with Alcaraz on grass, Djokovic is now fully aware of the challenge he will face. In 2023, Alcaraz wasn’t known for grass prowess at all, but he ran the table at Queen’s Club and Wimbledon, defeating Djokovic from two sets to one down in the final.
Djokovic has had plenty of time to digest the fact that Alcaraz is a true threat to his empire at Wimbledon.
“He surprised I think all of us last year the way he played in Queen's and Wimbledon, which he won back-to-back,” he said. “You would think that for someone growing up in Spain, as he did, the way he's playing, clay court, Grand Slam win, which happened this year in Roland Garros, and US Open a few years ago was maybe not as surprising as Wimbledon, but the way he has moved, played the last couple of years on grass has been terrific to watch, to be honest.”
Perhaps the 37-year-old is paying Alcaraz the highest compliment when he says he sees many similarities between himself and Alcaraz in terms of their tennis.
“I see a lot of similarities between me and him in terms of ability to adapt and adjust to the surface,” he said. “I think that's probably his biggest trait, is that he's got skills to play equally well on any surface and to adapt to a given opponent that particular day. So he's a very all-around player, very complete player.
“Impressive what he has done for such a young age. I said on the court, which I think probably all of us share the same opinion, that he's going to win many slams in his career. Hope he's going to give me this one in two days, and let's see.”