Novak Djokovic has been on the cusp of tennis history for some time, tied with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles.
Both players have 24 Grand Slam singles titles to their name but Djokovic has the opportunity to become the outright record holder when he competes at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships.
Djokovic, whose favourite surface is arguably grass, has won Wimbledon seven times – most recently in 2022 when he defeated Nick Kyrgios in the final.
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander has weighed in on Djokovic’s chances at Wimbledon, claiming there is only one issue Djokovic could face.
Mats Wilander says playing both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon would be Novak Djokovic’s ‘only issue’
Wilander, a three-time French Open champion, conveyed his expectations for Djokovic on TNT Sports.
Wilander said: “I expect Novak Djokovic to play as well or maybe better at Wimbledon than he did at the French Open.
“Let’s be honest, when he has had to play great, he has played great in all three majors this year. And suddenly, he goes to his favourite surface, most probably his favourite tournament.
“He’s nearly taken a set or two from Jannik Sinner at the French Open. Jannik Sinner should have won the tournament three sets to one.
“So, if I’m Novak Djokovic, I’m looking at, ‘Man, I could have been in the finals. I could have nearly beaten these guys [at the] French Open. Give me Wimbledon and the grass.”
Wilander, who was world number one for 20 weeks during his playing career, won three Australian Opens and one US Open. However, Wilander never won Wimbledon, reaching the quarter-finals across three consecutive years from 1987 to 1989.
In contrast, Djokovic has the opportunity to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon Men’s Singles titles this July.
Wilander, who felt sorry for Jannik Sinner after the French Open final, predicts that Djokovic may need one of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to lose before he faces them.
Wilander added: “Maybe he needs one of them to lose before he plays them. It’s a tough deal to play Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals and Carlos Alcaraz in the finals, that’s for sure, because it becomes so physical towards the end of the tournament when the court doesn’t necessarily slow down, but the bounce is higher and it becomes more like a hard court. That’s the only issue I see for him.
“But he’s so good when the grass is green, Novak, because the balance in his feet is incredible. And he just plays so smart … so I’m expecting huge things from Novak Djokovic.”
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz practice together on Wimbledon Centre Court
Ahead of Wimbledon’s opening main draw matches on June 30, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic spent some time re-acclimatising to the green surface of Centre Court.
Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion, defeated Djokovic in last year’s final, winning 6-2 6-2 7-6.
The Spaniard also beat Djokovic in the 2023 final, winning a gargantuan five-set thriller 1-6 7-6 6-1 3-6 6-4.
However, Djokovic got the better of Alcaraz in their brief practice exchange, striking a booming inside-in forehand to force an error from the Spaniard.
