“I can beat him” World No. 104 Tim van Rijthoven not afraid of the massive 4th round clash against Novak Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon


“I can beat him” World No. 104 Tim van Rijthoven not afraid of the massive 4th round clash against Novak Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic and Tim van Rijthoven

World No. 3 Novak Djokovic, the top seed at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships will take on World No. 104 Tim van Rijthoven in the 4th round of the ongoing 2022 Wimbledon Championships where the Serbian is the 3-time defending champion currently on a 24-match winning streak. Tim, on the other hand, is playing in his first-ever Wimbledon after getting a wildcard for this year’s Championships.

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Tim came to the limelight after he defeated World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the finals of the 2022 Libema Open in the Netherlands being ranked outside the Top 200. The win saw him jump 99 places and it was the first ATP main-draw appearance for the Dutchman who claimed his first-ever ATP title as well given that he is yet to win a Challenger.

Also Read: “Rafael Nadal has found the flaw in Novak Djokovic’s forehand” Marian Vajda wary of the Serb’s chances to win the 2022 Wimbledon ahead of a possible final showdown

“It’s a sum-up of a lot of hard work”: Tim van Rijthoven on making it to the 4th round

Tim van Rijthoven and Novak Djokovic
Tim van Rijthoven and Novak Djokovic

A young talent, Tim had difficulties early in his career and Medvedev admitted that he knew Tim from their teenage days and he had the success coming for him. Tim had expressed a desire to take on Djokovic prior to Wimbledon and he has allowed himself to live his dream by taking on the former World No. 1 and 20-time major winner.

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“Before the start of the tournament, it was a dream for me to play against him. The fact that I can now have this opportunity, even if we can play Center Court or Court 1 at Wimbledon, is something as beautiful as it is magical. I’m a player who goes into every game thinking that I can win, I will also do it against Djokovic if I have to face him in the next round, I will go into this game with the confidence that I can beat him

“From the outside, it obviously looks like a fairytale because it came out of nowhere for a lot of people. Also, the ATP title for me came out of nowhere because I didn’t even win an [ATP Challenger Tour] title before. I played some finals. The level there is just also very high. But it’s basically a sum-up of a lot of hard work, a lot of belief, and eventually very positive vibes just going into matches and going into practices. That is basically what’s happening right now, it’s because of that,” said Tim speaking to the press after reaching the 4th round.

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Also Read: ‘Advantage Rafa?’ Mats Wilander predicts a Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal Wimbledon Final where he believes the Spaniard will have an upper hand

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