Novak Djokovic calls himself the favorite to win the 2023 Wimbledon following his win over Andrey Rublev
The Serbian superstar reveals he enjoys the pressure of being the player to beat at Wimbledon.
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Novak Djokovic (Image Credits: Reuters)
During the post-match interview after his Wimbledon quarterfinal match against World No. 7 Andrey Rublev, Novak Djokovic made a bold statement that he considers himself the favorite to win the Wimbledon championships this year.
The Serbian superstar said, “I mean, I don’t want to sound arrogant, but of course I would consider myself favorite. Judging with the results I had in my career here, previous four occasions of Wimbledon that I won, and reaching another semifinal, so I do consider myself favorite, yes.”
Djokovic’s claim, however, does not come across as an exaggeration. With a 4-title streak running, and currently, in the bid for a fifth consecutive and overall eighth title at the prestigious Major, Djokovic’s record at Wimbledon has been beyond exceptional.
With his 4-set victory against Rublev, Novak pushes his winning streak at Wimbledon to an astounding 33. He is also now in his 46th Grand Slam semifinal, tying him with Roger Federer. He is also appearing in his 12th Wimbledon semifinal, second only to Roger’s 13.
Djokovic enjoys the pressure of being the man to beat at Wimbledon
Rublev definitely started strong against the reigning champion, taking the opening set, but lost intensity over the course of the match. Djokovic, in his trademark consistency, prevailed in 4 sets.
Djokovic spoke about being the favorite to win here, saying that the pressure excites him. “I love it. Any player wants to be in the position where all the other players want to beat you,” he said. “The pressure never goes away every time I come on court.” Djokovic is well aware that he is the man to beat here, and has been so for a few years now. “They want to get a scalp and the win — but it ain’t happening!” he said light-heartedly.
The Seb is set to face Italian player and 8th seed Jannik Sinner in the first semifinal at Wimbledon 2023. This is a rematch of their Wimbledon quarterfinal last year, where Sinner came agonizingly short of upsetting the Serb, losing in 5 sets. The match is to take place on Centre Court, which is an important detail given how Novak has not lost a match on Wimbledon’s Centre Court in a decade. He last lost in the 2013 final to Britain’s Andy Murray.
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Ketan Kunkalikar
(129 Articles Published)