By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday July 11, 2023
As the saying, coined by the legendary Billie Jean King, goes: “Pressure is a privilege.”
At Wimbledon, seven-time champion Novak Djokovic is taking King’s words to heart.
After taking out Andrey Rublev to reach his 46th Grand Slam semifinal and stretching his Wimbledon winning streak to 33 matches, Djokovic was asked how he felt about the fact that the rest of the tour is gunning for him wherever he plays.
“I love it, it’s true,” Djokovic told the crowd with a smile.
Based on his recent results – 26 consecutive Grand Slam matches won, 44 consecutive victories on Wimbledon’s fabled Centre Court – it’s hard to argue. The 36-year-old is carving a momentous path to his 24th major and with two victories left to achieve at Wimbledon, he is brimming with confidence.
Bring on the pressure!
“I think any tennis player wants to be in a position where everyone wants to win against you on the court. It is a privilege, as Billie Jean said,” added the Serbian icon. “Pressure is part of what we do, it is part of our sport. It's never going to go away. Regardless of how many Grand Slams you win or how many matches you won or how many years that you're playing professionally on the tour.
“The pressure is paramount, every single time I come out on the court, particularly here on Centre Court at Wimbledon, but at the same time it awakens the most beautiful emotions in me and it motivates me beyond what I've ever dreamed of, and it inspires me to play my best tennis.”
And just in case his rivals were listening, Djokovic had one last thing to add before he headed off to the locker room.
“I know that they want to get a scalp, they want to win but it ain't happening, still,” he said.
I’m the favorite
Most players shy away from declaring themselves the favorite as a way of deflecting pressure, but Djokovic is taking ownership of his situation at Wimbledon.
During his post match press conference, after going over his victory over Rublev, he was asked if he saw himself as the favorite ahead at Wimbledon.
Silly question.
“I don't want to sound arrogant, but of course I would consider myself the favorite,” he said. “Judging with the results I had in my career here, previous four occasions of Wimbledon that I won, and reaching other semifinal, so I do consider myself favorite, yes.”
Djokovic, now 91-10 lifetime at Wimbledon, will square off with Jannik Sinner in the semifinals on Friday.