Defending champion Novak Djokovic is taking nothing for granted as he makes his final preparations ahead of his first round match against James Ward at Wimbledon.
The world No.1 is the clear favourite for the title at SW19. This year he has already won six titles on the tour, including both the Australian and French Open. He is also on a 28-match winning streak in major tournaments since June 2015. On paper the Serbian is set to clinch grand slam title No.13, however, Djokovic is remaining coy about his chances.
“I think it’s pretty much an open field,” he said.
“I think the beauty of all the Grand Slams, and of this sport, is that you always start from scratch, and you always start from the same starting position as everybody else, fighting for the trophy equally.”
Challengers awaiting Djokovic in the tournament could include Milos Raonic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. They all certainly have the potential to trouble the top seed. Murray has won a record breaking fifth title at the Aegon Championships, Raonic recently reached his first final on the grass since 2013 and Federer has an outstanding record at the tournament with a record seven titles.
“You always have the top players, the ones that were most dominant on the grand slams in the previous years that are always in contention for winning the trophy – Andy Murray, Roger (Federer) – first of all, because of their rankings, their history of playing, playing well, and winning this tournament, especially Roger for so many times,” Djokovic said about his rivals.
“Then you have Milos Raonic, who has been playing very well. He has a big serve, which is an obvious advantage on this surface that is quickest we have in sports.”
This season Djokovic currently has a win-loss record of 44-3. His three losses were to Feliciano Lopez (Dubai via retirement), Jiri Vesely (Monte Carlo) and Andy Murray (Rome). The 29-year-old is currently on course to win all four grand slam titles within one season, an achievement that hasn’t happened since Rod Laver in 1969.
Djokovic is already considered amongst the greatest of all time, but the likes of Federer are still rated higher than him. On the other hand, renowned tennis coach Nick Bollettieri has praised the world No.1 for his solid game.
“Novak Djokovic is different. I’m not necessarily saying that the defending Wimbledon champion is the best player in history, but can anyone point out a weakness in his game?” He wrote in The Independent.
“Holy cow, you would need a microscope to find a flaw in this guy.”
The top seed will begin his title defence at 13:00 on centre court against Ward.
