Novak Djokovic recovered from a poor third set to defeat Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4), for his record-tying 105th singles win at Wimbledon. Djokovic has now equaled the record for most wins in men’s singles with Roger Federer, while Martina Navratilova continues to remain at the top in both men’s and women’s with 120 wins at the All England Club.
Overall, the match had an entertaining appeal to it. Djokovic dived a few times, bowed to the crowd, and kissed the sky. When asked about it in the post-match conference, the 24-time Grand Slam champion said:
“Well, we are in the entertainment business, as well. I think in the end of the day, you try to bring the quality for the people that pay tickets to come and watch you with your tennis. Also, I mean, for me at least, it was always trying to interact in one way or another with the crowd.”
Talking more about it, Djokovic likes when he can offer some words to an emotional moment in the stands which the concerned party will remember for years.
“Sometimes you have matches where you just try to switch everything and everyone off and not really pay attention,” Djokovic added. “Sometimes if there is a proposal happening and you see it, I think it’s a nice moment if you say a few words. They’ll remember it for a long time. Like it happened in, I think, first or second match that I played.
“Yeah, well, I mean, you’re by yourself on the court, so there’s a lot of emotions that you have to deal with and manage. Sometimes it’s really hard to keep it all inside. Some are more expressive than others, I guess.”
In the initial part of his career, Djokovic faced resistance from the crowd while he was rising as a challenger to the Big Two of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. But now that he is in the final phase of his career, he is being cherished a lot.
Novak Djokovic Content After Historic Wimbledon Win in R3
Novak Djokovic holds the most Grand Slam titles in men’s tennis history in the Open era. His 24 titles put him ahead of Rafael Nadal (22) and Roger Federer (20).
On Thursday, he marked another milestone in the most prestigious Grand Slam tournament at the All England Club. Tying Federer for his 105th singles win was no mean feat, and Djokovic acknowledged that he played a tough match to get there.
“To be able to make history in this sport is a huge honour and a huge privilege,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “Particularly here, it’s always a been a dream childhood tournament of mine. I’m not thinking about whether it’s going to be 105 or 106, but I’m just thinking about trying to win that match on a given day. Today I was quite stressed out. There was more tension than usual. I knew it was going to be a very challenging match for me. I’m just happy to overcome this.
He even joked that he is ready to face already retired Federer to see who gets to 106th win first.
“I propose a matchup between me and Roger for 106!” Djokovic added.
Djokovic is chasing the elusive 25th Grand Slam title. With Carlos Alcaraz out, the odds are significantly higher for the Serb. It remains to be seen whether he could make it past the fourth round against unranked Roman Safiullin this weekend.
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