Djokovic names two Wimbledon 'favourites' after learning quarter-final opponent
Novak Djokovic has cooled suggestions he is the man to beat at Wimbledon - instead citing defending champion Carlos Alcaraz as one of two "favourites" to claim the top prize at SW19.
The former World No.1 has lost the last two finals at the All England Club, both of them to the Spaniard. Djokovic is again into the last eight after seeing off Alex de Minaur on Sunday, despite losing the first set, but has backed some of his rivals to be ahead of him in the pecking order.
Djokovic sees Alcaraz and three-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner as the two men to beat. They just played out an epic in the French Open final with Alcaraz winning in five sets, but the level of tennis left everyone stunned and they sit as the top two seeded players.
Despite that the veteran 38-year-old has been cited by his former coach Goran Ivanisevic as the one they all need to watch out for in London. He claimed Djokovic was "the best grass-court player" - which is backed up by his seven championships - but the sixth seed insists others are ahead of him.
The Serbian said: "I love Goran, and I'm happy he loves me back, but I don't think I'm a favourite against these guys at the moment. I think they are, both of them.
"But I do probably have my best chance here against them here, yeah. If it comes down to me facing one of them or two of them, which I hope so, it means I would proceed to the final and then yeah, I'll obviously look for my best game to win. I do think have a chance. There's no doubt about it. I think my results on grass even in the previous years are a testament to my confidence on this surface.
"I've been playing some really good tennis this year. So I feel good about myself. I feel confident. I feel motivated to go all the way. Let's see what happens."
Djokovic hasn't won a Grand Slam since he won the US Open in 2023. Last year marked only the second time in 14 years where he didn't win one. It means he's looking to end what is, by his high standards, a hefty drought as he eyes more history.
The Serbian will face Flavio Cobolli in the next round but his last four opponent is likely to be Sinner. Only recent at Roland Garros did Sinner beat Djokovic handsomely in the semi-finals.
The Italian though survived a scare when he was handed a walkover in a match against Gregor Dimitrov in which he was two sets behind on Sunday. Alcaraz meanwhile has dropped four sets in his four matches so far.
Quarter-Final Matches
Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton
Flavio Cobolli vs Novak Djokovic
Taylor Fritz vs Karen Khachanov
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