Novak Djokovic admits that Wimbledon offers him the “best chance” to make history when he chases a record 25. Grand Slam title in dusk of his sparkling career.
Djokovic dreams of putting an exclamation point on his incredible career by becoming the most successful single player in tennis history.
The 38-year-old has been tied with Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slam titles since he won his latest big award at 2023 US Open.
With Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz and the world’s number one Jannik Sinner emerges as the sport’s dominant forces by winning the last six Grand Slams between them, Djokovic believes that his most realistic hope of a historic 25. The title lies on the lush lawn in southwest London.
“I 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 the extra push mentally and motivation to perform the best tennis at the highest level,” Djokovic told journalists at All England Club on Saturday.
Djokovic lost against Alcaraz in 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon Finals and has failed to get the title to match any of his last three Grand Slams.
After losing to Sinner in the recent French open semi-final, Djokovic arrives in Wimbledon in the unusual position, which is no longer considered the All England Club title favorite.
The Serbs would draw level on a record eight men’s Wimbledon Singing Titles with Roger Federer if he wins the grass course tournament for the first time since 2022.
But Djokovic, who won his 100th Tour level title in May in Geneva, has been dogged by questions about when he retires since he fulfilled his long-standing desire for Olympic singles gold in Paris last year.
He suggested after the French Open in June that he may not return to Roland Garros and was Coy about a potential Wimbledon goodbye.
‘You always hunt’
“Whether it could be my last dance, I’m not sure as I’m not sure about Roland Garros or any other sludge that I play next,” he said.
“My desire is to play for several years. I would very much like to be healthy physically and also mentally motivated to continue playing at the highest level. That’s the goal, but you never know at this time.”
After struggling for years with Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, Djokovic is the last of the star quartet that is still playing.
The former world number one has been taken over by Alcaraz and Sinner for the past two years, and he is happy to admit that his only remaining goal is to make the Grand Slam story.
“In a way, you always hunt because you always go for the titles – in my also privileged position – the items and more history,” he said.
“I would say that it is a little different for me now that I am not chasing the rankings anymore in that regard. I try to play the best tennis in the Grand Slams and try to win the Grand Slams.”
Djokovic, who competes at his lowest Wimbledon Podning (Sixth) since 2018, will begin his campaign against Alexandre Muller from France next week.
The Serbian, who has been in any Wimbledon final since 2018, is poded for a quarter-final meeting with the British fourth seed Jack Draper and a semi-final against Sinner before a potential last showdown with Alcaraz.
Looking forward to the scary schedule, Djokovic admitted that his performances have not been consistent enough too late.
“My level of tennis has gone up and down and fluctuating much more than was the case for most of my career, if you see the last year and a half, I’ve also been a little unstable with my results,” he said.
“This year I played two semi -finals. Unfortunately in Australia, I had to retire. In Roland Garros was outplayed by Sinner. I think I was still playing a decent level on tennis that showed me that I can still play at a very high level at the later phases.”
