By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday July 7, 2023
Novak Djokovic continued his march to history at Wimbledon with a victory over old rival Stan Wawrinka.
Photo Sourc: Rob Newell/CameraSport
You have to love it when a Novak Djokovic press conference takes a turn, and the Grand Slam juggernaut starts digging in. There he is, in some flawless Lacoste tracksuit, occasionally hydrating, pontificating on a topic in great detail, in one of the 7,000 languages he currently speaks.
(Editor's note: 7,000 is not an official number)
You think to yourself, of Djokovic: is this guy a superhero?
On a tennis court, yes.
In his post-match press conference, Djokovic covered a range of topics, including his body:
“We are all different. We all have different body types,” he said. “I always have worked a lot on my flexibility, since a young age. I was taught this was extremely important because that's going to give me longevity.”
That blurb is an interesting segue into the story of Djokovic’s latest Wimbledon win: Longevity is his trademark. And here is Djokovic's vision of himself, coming to fruition.
Djokovic is everything, all at once. He's a physical phenom. He can read your mind. He's accompanied by a force field; his racquet doubles as his lightsaber. He is Keanu Reeves in the Matrix. A contortionist. A telepathic mover. A protagonist when he needs to be, an antagonist when he must.
And he JUST. KEEPS. WINNING.
The prohibitive favorite at this year's Championships defeated former rival Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(5) on Friday evening on Centre Court, sewing up his 31st consecutive Wimbledon win just before the 11PM curfew.
After running roughshod over the 38-year-old Swiss for two sets, timely execution in the tiebreak enabled Djokovic to ensure himself of a day off on Saturday. Djokovic was down 5-3, but snatched the run of play from Wawrinka as he raced away with his 42nd consecutive Centre Court victory.
If Djokovic hadn't captured the third set, he and Wawrinka would have completed their match on Saturday, with round of 16 action looming on Sunday. Three days of match play in a row, in the middle of Wimbledon? Not impossible, but not ideal.
Djokovic, well aware of what he was up against, made sure he got out with the W.
“It all looked great after two sets,” Djokovic told reporters after the win. “As I said, he raised his game. He's a multiple Grand Slam champion, someone that has been in these kind of occasions so many times. He has beaten me in two Grand Slam finals. So to say, he has a lot of experience playing in these circumstances. I knew that he's not going to give up just like that after second set.
“He went to change [his clothes]. He came back as a different player. We went toe to toe. I think it was fair to end the match in a tiebreak.
Speaking of timely: Djokovic's latest triumph comes on the 10-year anniversary of his last loss on Centre Court, to Andy Murray in the 2013 final at SW19.
He’s been invincible on the sport’s cathedral ever since.
This year at Wimbledon, Djokovic remains in chase of two key quests. The all-time men’s singles title record (currently held by Roger Federer), and the all-time Grand Slam singles record (currently held by Margaret Court).
After three rounds – nine sets up, nine down – Djokovic looks primed to make more history next week. He can tie both records, and keep his hopes for the coveted calendar-year Grand Slam alive.
In a moment where we’ve nearly run out of superlatives to describe Djokovic’s exploits, the quest for more superlatives starts again.
Tiebreak Fire
The big picture stats are a lot to grasp. It’s heavy what Djokovic is doing. So are the minutiae, like tiebreaks: Djokovic has won his last 12 Grand Slam tiebreaks, which ties him for the longest such streak since Pete Sampras in 1994. 12 on the trot at the Slams – it’s a testament to his serve, mentality and self belief.
Next up for Djokovic: A round of 16 encounter with former semifinalist Hubert Hurkacz.