Ageing and vulnerable seven-time champ is loved at last
The Wimbledon crowd's resistance to his charms was partly because his courting of them was too apparent, but mainly because his big rivals, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, were so popular, and unlike them, his game was perceived as more efficient than stylish.
But longevity coupled with a new vulnerability creates an allure of its own. Now in his 39th year and without a grand slam title since September 2023, the Centre Court crowd have finally taken the Serb to their hearts.
That was evident even as he dismantled a Brit, the plucky but outgunned local hope Dan Evans, 6-3 6-2 6-0 in the second round on Thursday.
Djokovic never gave Evans a sniff as he delivered a superb all-round performance where he looked as sharp as ever.
At the end, there were loud cheers of support, and his post-match interview was greeted with laughter and applause.
He said the right things, obviously, praising Evans and complimenting the crowd, but they knew it was genuine when the seven-times champ said, "Wimbledon still stays the most special tournament in my heart and the one that I always dreamed of winning when I was a kid. Any history made here is very special for me."
This was his 99th win at Wimbledon. Five more and he will achieve a 25th grand slam, finally eclipsing Margaret Court's tally.
That's the target that keeps him looking forward, not back.
"I don't pause to reflect," he said. "I don't have time. Being on the highest level on professional tennis requires a lot of dedication.
"I don't play as much as I did before, but the weeks I don't play, I play at home with my kids. I don't reflect fully on everything I have been through.
"I would like to, but I think that will come when I set the racquet aside and then sip margaritas on the beach with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and just reflect on our rivalry and everything."
Djokovic now meets compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic, who defeated Jesper de Jong 1-6 6-3 6-2 6-4.
Elsewhere, Jan-Lennard Struff completed a surprise four-set comeback victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime to set up a third-round date with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Struff, the only German man left in the draw, won 3-6 7-6 (11-9) 6-3 6-4 in a match suspended due to poor light on Wednesday after the second set.
Seeds Jakub Mensik (15) and Flavio Cobolli (22) progressed and now meet each other, as did Grigor Dimitrov (19) and, in another match with an overnight delay, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (26).
Spaniard Davidovich Fokina will next meet fifth-seed Taylor Fritz with the winner playing Jordan Thompson in the fourth round should the Aussie come through his third-round tie.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Wimbledon 2025, day 6 live: Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek and the games to watch
Novak Djokovic believes he is playing as well as he can on Wimbledon's grass as he gears up to face Davis Cup teammate Miomir Kecmanovic in the third round on Saturday. Also in action on day six of the championships are Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner, both of whom have flown under the radar so far. DJOKER EDGES CLOSER TO HISTORY History-chasing Djokovic feels 'sharp' Novak Djokovic has earned the right to talk with confidence as he seeks a record 25th Grand Slam. The seven-time champion, locked with the long-retired Margaret Court on 24 majors, dropped a set in his opening match but lost just five games in total in the second round against British wildcard Dan Evans. A third-round clash against Miomir Kecmanovic will hold few fears for the sixth seed, who has not lost against his 49th-ranked compatriot in three previous meetings. 'If I play like today, I feel like I have a very good chance against anybody, really, on the Centre Court of Wimbledon, a place where I maybe feel the most comfortable on any court,' he said after his win against Evans. 'Rod Laver Arena and Wimbledon Centre Court are the two courts where I've done so well throughout my career. 'I felt great physically, mentally sharp. Game-wise, I'm playing as well as I can, really, on grass. So hopefully I can keep it up.' SWIATEK'S CONFIDENCE GROWING ON GRASS Iga Swiatek has quietly gone about her business at this year's Wimbledon but will have watched the exit of most of her top rivals with interest. The five-time Grand Slam champion is seeded eighth at the All England club after slipping down the rankings, though she is now back in the world's top four after reaching the Bad Homburg final last week. The Polish player, who faces American Danielle Collins in the third round, has won at least one Grand Slam in four of the past five years, though she has never been beyond the quarter-finals at the All England Club. But a glance at the draw makes interesting reading, with world number one Aryna Sabalenka the only player remaining from among the top six seeds. Swiatek, who has won four titles on the French Open clay, takes confidence from her recent run to the final on grass in Germany. 'For sure, these matches in Bad Homburg gave me confidence. Also, the body feels the matches differently than the practices,' she said. US player Collins postponed her retirement in October when ranked ninth in the world but has tumbled to 54th in the rankings after a frustrating season. SINNER FINDS HIS GROOVE Like Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner has been content to stay out of the spotlight at the All England Club while other players grab the headlines. The Italian has barely broken sweat so far as he settles in on grass following his painful defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final, where he squandered three championship points. Alcaraz is through to the last 16 already but has not hit top form so far and will know he has to cut out the errors. Sinner, by contrast, has played two matches so far and lost just 12 games in easing past Luca Nardi and Aleksandar Vukic. On Saturday the 23-year-old meets Spain's Pedro Martinez, whom he beat in their single meeting in 2022.
Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Perth Now
Tennis journo stuns world with ‘disrespectful' question to star
A reporter has stunned Brit star Cameron Norrie and left the tennis world aghast with a question that has been described as 'disrespectful' and 'pathetic'. After Norrie defeated Italian Mattia Bellucci in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4, 6-3 to enter the fourth round of Wimbledon, he then took his chair in the press room to answer questions, so he thought, about the largely forgettable match and his form. But what followed was not what he expected and, for what it's worth, not what other journalists expected either. 'Apart from everyone here loving tennis, some of the gossip has been about who Emma Raducanu is dating. Can I ask if you're dating her? Can we get to the bottom of this please?' the reporter asked, much to the surprise of Norrie. Raducanu is obviously another rising Brit star on the tennis scene. And the world No.40 just got a standing ovation from the adoring crowd after losing her Centre Court match to Aryna Sabalenka 7-6, 6-4 on Saturday morning (AEST). Norrie was shocked. 'Sorry?' he said. Cameron Norrie celebrates winning his match against Mattia Bellucci on Day 5 at Wimbledon. Credit: PA Images via Getty Images The reporter continued: 'I'm trying to find out who's dating Emma Raducanu. It seems to be going around all the men's singles. I was wondering if you're dating her, please?' Norrie: 'I'm not. No. You can ask her though.' While Norrie clearly handled himself in a dignified manner, the exchange infuriated the tennis world. Popular social media account the Tennis Letter was scathing. 'Cam Norrie being asked about Emma Raducanu's dating life in his Wimbledon press conference is a new all time low,' they said: And respected tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg said: 'Even for British tabloids at Wimbledon, this is a yiiiiiiiikes.' Fan raged. 'It's pathetic. Tennis journalism at its worst. Completely disrespectful towards Norrie and he shouldn't have entertained the question at all. Also, just curious how many people are even remotely interested in Raducanu's dating life?' one fan blasted on X (formerly Twitter). 'Omg, who would ask that?' another said. And several fans thought a media ban was appropriate. 'It really is (appalling). They should not be allowed back in the press room,' a fan said. And another: 'That 'reporter' needs to be banned.' Norrie — a 2022 Wimbledon semi-finalist — will now face Nicolas Jarry in the fourth round after Jarry defeated Brazil's rising teenage star Joao Fonseca 6-3 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-4) on a raucous No.2 Court. He is the last British man standing, keeping the home fans happy after they were disappointed to see Jack Draper depart on Thursday. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz has survived a 'stressful' afternoon, coping with a barrage of booming serves from veteran German powerhhouse Jan-Lennard Struff to take his unbeaten streak to 21 matches and keep his Wimbledon hat-trick ambitions on course. The Spanish champion knew all about the danger of the 35-year-old Struff, having been knocked out of the 2021 French Open by him when he was an emerging star and then also getting stretched by the towering German over five sets at the following year's Wimbledon. And the same old problems emerged again on Friday when, after Alcaraz had eased through the first set, Struff, who blasted down 13 aces in all, responded brilliantly to clinch the crucial break for 5-3 before levelling the match. But Alcaraz, who'd also had a serious workout from another veteran, Fabio Fognini, over five sets in the opening round, once again found another gear to prevail 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-4 in two hours and 25 minutes. 'I knew it was going to be really difficult and I had to be focused on every shot,' said the 22-year-old. 'His game suits the grass, big serves, coming to the net, so I'm pleased with everything I did today. Proud to get the win in four sets. 'To be honest I was suffering in every service game I did. Lots of break points down. It was stressful,' added Alcaraz, who set up a last-16 date with 14th seed Andrey Rublev, who eased past veteran French leftie Adrian Mannarino 7-5 6-2 6-3. Taylor Fritz, who had already negotiated two marathon five-setters over three days to reach the third round, needed another three hours and 12 minutes to get past Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Yet though his workload has been massive and he's had issues with his knee, he reckons he's actually feeling stronger as each match goes by as he gets ready to face Australian Jordan Thompson, four-set victor over Luciano Darderi, in the last-16. A surprising face in the last-16 draw will be Poland's world 109 Kamil Majchrzak, who beat Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (8-6) and will next face Russian 17th seed Karen Khachanov, who finally beat Portugal's Nuno Borges in a match tiebreak 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 4-6 6-3 7-6 (10-8). - With AAP
7NEWS
6 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Tennis champion Naomi Osaka makes brutal admission after Wimbledon loss then turns on media
Tennis champion Naomi Osaka is unhappy with the way she is constantly portrayed by several media outlets. Osaka is an Australian Open and US Open champion but, after winning the Australian Open in 2021 and later taking time out to give birth, the former world No.1 has failed to progress past the third round of a major tournament. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Naomi Osaka devastated after Wimbledon loss. Her bid to reach the last-16 of a slam again failed overnight at Wimbledon, after she surrendered a one-set lead to go down 3-6 6-4 6-4 to former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. And in the press conference that followed Osaka cut a sad and dejected figure, where she was brutally honest. 'Honestly, right now I'm just really upset,' she said after the match. 'I'm just gonna be a negative human being today. 'I'm so sorry. I have nothing positive to say about myself, which is something I'm working on. 'It was my daughter's birthday. I was happy about that this week. Other than that, today, I'm just constantly replaying the match. 'I think if I look back on it, I can be happy with how I played. I started getting a lot more comfortable on grass. 'It's because I actually thought I could play well in general. Not saying I didn't play well, but make a deep run here. I wanted to do better than I did before. Also, I felt like I was trying so hard. I low-key busted a vein in my hand.' 'I feel like, while I still have the opportunity to try to (compete), I want to. 'Even though I get very upset when I lose, but I think that's my competitive nature.' Osaka was also in tears at the French Open when she lost to Paula Badosa in the third set ... and after the Wimbledon loss she was asked to compare the two experiences. 'I think in Paris ... when I sat here, I was very emotional. Now I don't feel anything,' she said. 'I guess I prefer to feel nothing than everything.' The press conference went viral where it was splashed across social media and various media outlets. But the 27-year-old later fumed about how she was portrayed. 'Bro ... why is it every time I do a press conference after a loss the ESPNs and blogs gotta clip it and put it up,' she said on X (formerly Twitter). 'WTF, why don't they clip my press conferences after I win? Like, why push the narrative that I'm always sad? 'Sure I was disappointed a couple hours ago, now I'm motivated to do better. That's human emotions. The way they clip me I feel like I should be fake happy all the time.' Osaka is one of the most marketable players on the tournament and has strong army of fans across the world, particularly in Japan (who she represents) and in the US (where she lives). And after the press conference, fans reached out. 'I am sending Naomi Osaka so much love. I hate to see her looking and feeling down. It appears she hasn't been herself in a while and that's so hard to see,' one fan said.
