Djokovic sets another record at Wimbledon and jokes about sipping margaritas on beach with rivals
Daniel Evans of Britain serves to Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their second round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns to Daniel Evans of Britain during their second round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts after beating Daniel Evans of Britain during their second round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts after beating Daniel Evans of Britain during their second round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Mirra Andreeva of Russia reacts during her second round women's single match against Lucia Bronzetti of Italy at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 3, 2025.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Daniel Evans of Britain serves to Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their second round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns to Daniel Evans of Britain during their second round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts after beating Daniel Evans of Britain during their second round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
LONDON (AP) — Novak Djokovic added another record to his name by reaching Wimbledon's third round for a 19th time with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 win over Dan Evans on Centre Court on Wednesday.
It was Djokovic's 99th match win at Wimbledon overall, and the 19 third-round appearances put him one ahead of Roger Federer for most by any man in the Open Era.
Advertisement
It's hardly the most prestigious record for Djokovic, whose 24 Grand Slam titles — including seven at Wimbledon — are the most by a male player. But he could at least use it to poke fun at his new, and much younger, main rivals.
'Nineteen times, that's a great stat,' said the 38-year-old Djokovic. 'That's probably almost as much as Sinner and Alcaraz have years in their lives.'
Well, not quite.
Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in the last two Wimbledon finals, is 22, while No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner — who was playing later on Centre Court — is 23.
The growing rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz — especially in the wake of their five-set final at the French Open last month — has helped tennis move on from the era of the Big Three, where Djokovic is the last man standing after Federer and Rafael Nadal retired.
Advertisement
But Djokovic is too focused on proving he can still win another Slam to sit back and reflect on everything he has accomplished at Wimbledon.
'I don't pause to reflect, to be honest. I don't have time,' Djokovic said in an on-court interview. 'I would like to. But I think that's going to come probably when I set the racket aside and then sip margarita on the beach with Federer and Nadal and just reflect on our rivalry and everything.'
Against Evans, Djokovic failed to convert his first nine break points in the first set. But once he got the breakthrough for a 5-3 lead — raising both arms in the air as if to say 'finally' — he went five-for-six on break points the rest of the way.
'You have these kinds of days where everything goes your way,' said Djokovic, who didn't face a break point of his own until the final game. 'Everything flows.'
Advertisement
What else happened Thursday at Wimbledon?
No. 7-seeded Mirra Andreeva and No. 10 Emma Navarro both advanced in straight sets. The 18-year-old Andreeva earned a 6-1, 7-6 (4) win over Lucia Bronzetti of Italy, and Navarro cruised past Veronika Kudermetova 6-1, 6-2. No. 11 Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, beat Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-1.
In the men's draw, No. 11 Alex de Minaur ousted 115th-ranked Arthur Cazaux 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 and 19th-seeded Gregor Dimitrov outlasted Corentin Moutet 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.
Who plays Friday at the All England Club?
Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion, faces 35-year-old Jan-Lennard Struff on Centre Court, before No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka faces British home favorite Emma Raducanu in the late match. Australian Open champion Madison Keys faces Laura Siegemund on No. 2 Court.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. arrested by ICE for deportation, federal officials say
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., right, punches Jake Paul during their cruiserweight boxing match on Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent) LOS ANGELES (AP) — Famed Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. has been arrested for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application and will be deported to Mexico, where he faces organized crime charges, U.S. federal officials said Thursday. The arrest came only days after the former middleweight champion lost a match against influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim, California. The Department of Homeland Security said officials determined Chávez should be arrested on June 27, a day before the fight. It was unclear why they waited to act for days after the high-profile event. Advertisement The boxer was riding a scooter when agents detained him The 39-year-old boxer, according to his attorney Michael Goldstein, was picked up Wednesday by a large number of federal agents while he was riding a scooter in front of a home where he resides in the upscale Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City near Hollywood. 'The current allegations are outrageous and simply another headline to terrorize the community,' Goldstein said. Many people across Southern California are on edge as immigration arrests have ramped up, prompting protests and the federal deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to downtown Los Angeles. Advertisement Goldstein did not know where Chávez was being detained as of Thursday morning, but said he and his client were due in court Monday in connection with prior gun possession charges. Chávez's family issued a statement Thursday afternoon in support of him, the Los Angeles Times reported. 'We have full confidence in his innocence,' the statement said. 'We firmly believe that the proper course is to allow the competent authorities to carry out their work without external pressure or speculation.' Before his recent bout, Chavez fought once since 2021 Before his bout with Paul on Saturday, Chávez had fought just once since 2021, having fallen to innumerable lows during a lengthy boxing career conducted in the shadow of his father, Julio César Chávez, one of the most beloved athletes in Mexican history and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame who won championships in several weight classes. Advertisement The son, who has battled drug addiction for much of his career, has been arrested repeatedly. In 2012, he was convicted of drunk driving in Los Angeles and sentenced to 13 days in jail and in January 2024 he was arrested on gun charges. Police said he possessed two AR-style ghost rifles. He was later freed on a $50,000 bond and on condition he went to a residential drug treatment facility. The case is still pending, with Chávez reporting his progress regularly. He split his time between both countries. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained Chávez for overstaying a tourist visa that he entered the U.S. with in August 2023 and expired in February 2024, the Department of Homeland Security said. The agency also said Chávez submitted multiple fraudulent statements when he applied for permanent residency on April 2, 2024, based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, Frida Muñoz. She is the mother of a granddaughter of imprisoned Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. U.S. officials said he is believed to be an affiliate of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel that is blamed for a significant portion of Mexico's drug violence. Advertisement Federal officials called Chavez a public safety threat U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services flagged Immigration and Customs Enforcement about Chávez on Dec. 17, saying he 'is an egregious public safety threat,' and yet he was allowed back into the country without a visa on Jan. 4 under the Biden administration, the agency said. Mexico's Attorney General's Office said that an arrest warrant against 'Julio 'C was issued in Mexico in March 2023 in an investigation of organized crime and arms trafficking allegations and that Mexico on Thursday initiated extradition proceedings. A federal agent who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed to The Associated Press that 'Julio C' is Chávez. The agent declined to explain why Chávez was not arrested earlier in Mexico despite going back and forth between the two countries multiple times. Advertisement In Mexico, mixed feelings followed the arrest In Mexico, word of U.S. agents arresting a well-known athlete prompted mixed feelings. Martín Sandoval Peñaloza, a newspaper seller in Mexico City, said he believes President Donald Trump wanted to make him an example. 'I think that the U.S. government - in this case, Trump – is up to something," he said, adding that it was 'to attract media attention.' Oscar Tienda, a Mexico City storekeeper, said he wasn't surprised given the boxer's troubles. 'I think it was predictable because he has had a lifetime of drug use," he said. Despite widely being criticized for his intermittent dedication to the sport, Chávez still rose to its heights. He won the WBC middleweight title in 2011 and defended it three times. Chávez shared the ring with generational greats Canelo Álvarez and Sergio Martinez, losing to both. Advertisement Chávez claimed to be clean for the Paul fight. He looked in his best shape in years while preparing for the match. Chávez said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times ahead of his fight with Paul that he and his trainers were shaken by the immigration arrests. 'There are a lot of good people, and you're giving the community an example of violence,' Chávez said. 'After everything that's happened, I wouldn't want to be deported.' —- Associated Press journalists Carlos Rodriguez, Fabiola Sanchez and Martín Silva in Mexico City contributed to this story. Watson reported from San Diego.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Wimbledon 2025 live updates: Day 5 latest with Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys in action today
Follow live coverage from today at SW19 with third-round action featuring Alcaraz, Fritz, Sabalenka and Keys Getty Images
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Coco Gauff Moved to Tears After Watching Video of Her Parents at French Open
Coco Gauff Moved to Tears After Watching Video of Her Parents at French Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After winning the French Open over the weekend, Coco Gauff still couldn't help but get emotional over her success in Paris. Advertisement Gauff took down Aryna Sabalenka in three sets to claim her first Roland-Garros title, with the match lasting two hours and 38 minutes. The World No. 1 Sabalenka won the first set and looked to be in control, but her uncharacteristic mistakes soon affected her. Sabalenka committed 70 unforced errors and six double faults, while Gauff was steady despite the rough conditions brought by the gusting wind. The American youngster's defense eventually allowed her to survive the Belarusian top seed and claim the 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 victory. Coco Gauff of the United States poses with the trophy after winning the French Open women's singles final against Aryna Mullane-Imagn Images While Gauff has since returned to the U.S., the win and the moments that followed still bring her a lot of emotions. Advertisement That was clear on Sunday, as Gauff shared a video of her parents, Candi and Corey, celebrating right after her Grand Slam win. The video, posted by actor and producer Leon Robinson, showed Gauff's parents jumping for joy and hugging each other following Gauff's victory. The 21-year-old star was also shown on the court, kneeling and crying in disbelief. On her Instagram Stories, Gauff couldn't help but get teary-eyed over the clip, writing "my parents" along with a smiling face with tears emoji. Coco Gauff gets emotional after seeing her parents' reaction to her French Open Gauff/Instagram For what it's worth, Coco Gauff made sure to celebrate with her parents in the aftermath of her win. She was spotted going to the stands at Court Philippe Chatrier to share a moment with her family. Advertisement Gauff also showed her appreciation for her team for guiding her to her second Grand Slam title. She already won the US Open back in 2023. With the grass season coming up next, it will definitely be interesting to see if Gauff can win another Grand Slam at Wimbledon. Related: Coco Gauff's Behavior After Winning French Open Final is Turning Heads Related: Aryna Sabalenka Facing Backlash for Coco Gauff Message After French Open Loss This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
