He runs, he runs Novak Djokovic, and in the prolonged absence of Rafael Nadal, one wonders who can stop him. After winning the Australian Open and Roland-Garros, the Serb is still in contention for a third straight Grand Slam victory, following his Wimbledon quarter-final victory over Andrey Rublev on Tuesday night. He is just two short games away from equaling Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 major titles.
“I played well, I have the right energy and I hope to win again on Friday,” said the 36-year-old Serb with great serenity, who will face the Italian Jannik Sinner (8th) for a place in the final of the tournament he is playing for the 18th time. He also has his sights set on the record of eight titles on the London turf held by Roger Federer for men, one length from the absolute record of Martina Navratilova (9).
“Pressure arouses in me the most beautiful emotions”
So, for his 71st Grand Slam tournament, he is the player to beat, again and again. ” I love that ! Any player wants to be the one everyone else wants to beat, it’s a privilege,” he said after his victory. “The pressure is always huge, especially here at Wimbledon, but it brings out the best emotions in me, it pushes me to play my best tennis. They all want my scalp, but they won’t get it! “, he added, concluding with a laugh: “Yes, I am very humble. »
In terms of records, he is also aiming for a fifth consecutive title at Wimbledon to equal the series of Federer (2003-2007) and Björn Borg (1976-1980). He also reached his 46th Grand Slam semi-final, equaling Federer’s men’s record. He played his 400th Grand Slam match on Tuesday after playing his 100th at Wimbledon in the previous round. Only Roger Federer (429) and Serena Williams (419) have played more matches in Majors.