LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 14: Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Roger Federer of Switzerland pose for a … [+]
Novak Djokovic has already shattered many of Roger Federer’s records, and the Swiss Maestro says he hopes the Serb breaks every record in the books.
“Hopefully, Novak can go on and crush every record,” Federer said in this interview with Trevor Noah.
Djokovic, 37, has a men’s record 24 Grand Slam singles titles and is pursuing a 25th at Wimbledon despite undergoing meniscus surgery less than a month ago. He has surpassed both Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (22) in that category and also holds a head-to-head advantage over both of his chief rivals, making the case that he is the GOAT
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In one of their most pivotal matches, Federer held double-match point on Djokovic in the 2019 Wimbledon final but ended up losing in a fifth-set tiebreak.
Had Federer won that match, he would’ve led Djokovic 21-15 in majors — with Nadal at 18 at the time. Instead, Federer was ahead of Djokovic 20-16 after that match.
Djokovic, currently ranked No. 2 in the world, has also been world No. 1 for 405 weeks, compared to 310 for Federer and 209 for Nadal. Pete Sampras is No. 3 at 286.
On July 4, Djokovic won his 94th Wimbledon match compared to Federer’s 105.
The Serbian overcame a free-hitting display from resilient British wild card Jacob Fearnley to earn a 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 win.
In front of a capacity crowd on Centre Court – which was cheering loudly for Brit Fearnley – Djokovic was on course for a straight-sets win when he broke the 22-year-old’s serve mid-way through the third set. However, Fearnley roared back to to win the set, overpowering the second seed to gain a foothold.
With the pressure rising, Djokovic responded in the fourth set, increasing his intensity and gaining the crucial break in the 11th game to triumph in the pair’s first meeting.
“It was a great effort from Jacob, he played great,” Djokovic said on court. “I had not had a chance to see him play before until two days ago. There is always an element of surprise and nothing to lose. Playing him at Wimbledon was always going to be tough. Most of the British players grow up being exposed to grass courts, quick surfaces, so they know how to play.
“I thought he served very well. It was very difficult to break his serve. He made me work. I was probably a bit lucky in the fourth not to go a break down. I could have won the match in three but this match potentially deserved to go into a fifth, with the way he played in the fourt. But I am very glad it didn’t.”
Next up Djokovic will face Australian Alexei Popyrin in the third round.
Djokovic caught another break Wednesday when No. 7 seed Hubert Hurkacz retired with a knee injury during his second-round match against Arthur Fils. Hurkacz would potentially have faced Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
(The ATP contributed)
