LONDON - The Wimbledon men's singles title is to be lost to Novak Djokovic, at least according to the sport's greats. He has been the clear favorite since the start of the tournament, and did something truly remarkable to stop him chasing for his sixth Wimbledon crown and 20th Grand Slam title, after slipping just one set ahead of his 41st Grand Slam semi-final. Is going to be. in totality.
But Djokovic himself is not taking anything lightly, despite the expectations. Recording a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win against Marten Fuskovics on Wednesday, the path to the championship for Djokovic is as much about game management (and winning) as it is mastering his mind. is.
"Sometimes things feel surreal to me, but I try to live in that moment," he said after his admiration on center court - 315 Grand Slam singles match wins, 10 Wimbledon semifinal appearances - recounted to him. It was his 100th Grand Slam singles match win on grass. As remarkable as those achievements may be, those lofty exploits of the past are now role models for Djokovic.
During his on-court interview, he was asked, "How would you describe this victory?" To which a fan replied, "Boring." With a slight nervous smile, he replied, "You guys are pressuring my answers here."
Instead of talking about where he stands in the biggest race ever between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, he talked more about how much Center Court means to him.
"I am aware of some statistics," he said, "but I love this court with all my heart, body and soul, I have been dedicated to the sport since I was 4 years old."
It has been a lonely journey for Djokovic at Wimbledon. There is hope for him to win, as does the world of Formula 1 dominated by Lewis Hamilton. This imperative leads to greater support for Dalits.
While some feed the crowd of the All England Club such as Andy Murray (who focuses on random people in the crowd to get them fired), Nick Kyrgios (who fires the others) or Federer (a fan favorite who plays on Wednesday). in straight sets), Djokovic's motivation comes from within.
"She's mentally tougher than any other player on the planet," 18-time Grand Slam women's singles champion and current ESPN TV analyst Chris Evert said on Thursday. "We saw that when he beat [Stephanos] Tsitsipas at the French Open. He was down two sets - if he's playing a five-set match and that's two sets, even two sets and a break down, he just storms in and he knows he's about to get an opening and the window for him to jump. Once his opponent plays a bad point or two, he jumps in there He's in control of the match, he knows he can win and he closes it. And that's what he does so well. When he's losing he keeps calm and he has that confidence and belief. Happens that he can pull himself up and that his opponent is not going to continue the high quality of the game."
After his remarkable win at Roland Garros, Djokovic is ready to accept the challenge of making tennis history, but he has prepared himself not to lose sight of what is happening right now.
"If I start, you know, giving my attention and energy to these speculations and discussions and debates," Djokovic said after defeating Kristian Garin in the round of 16, "I think it takes me from that thing. Derailing what I think is a priority for me at the moment, which is to take it step by step, day after day, sticking to the things that make me feel good, that make me comfortable, Makes me feel confident in the end, which prepares me to be the best I can possibly be for the final stages of a Grand Slam."
His physique may not be the same as he did in his late 20s and early 30s, but after beating Kevin Anderson in straight sets in the second round, the 34-year-old Djokovic said that he continued his career. At this stage, you have adjusted your priorities. , opting to focus on the Grand Slam instead of chasing ATP points and winning more total tournaments.
It is no secret that Djokovic is inspired by his success and is aware of his place between Federer and Nadal for the most men's Grand Slam singles titles. But he has anchored himself in such a way that respect and numbers are a byproduct of his success rather than the primary focus when he steps onto center court.
Djokovic said earlier at the championship, "Of course, I understand that people like to argue about who is the biggest. ... There's always a lot going on, I guess, off the tennis court." "But once I'm on the court, I try to lock in and I try to block out all the distractions. I think over the years I've managed to develop the mechanism that makes me feel like that." Everyone has their own special ways of how to center themselves, how to center themselves, really direct, so to say, what matters most is the present moment.
"I have my techniques, I have my own methods. It's working so far, so I'll try to keep it going."
The next spot for Djokovic on Friday is Canada's Denis Shapovalov. He will give Djokovic his toughest job yet, but the Serbian champion will have a plan for him.
And that is part of what puts Djokovic in the race to become the greatest male tennis player of all time. This is not a resume based only on trophies; This is how he manages everything thrown at him and how he avoids getting bogged down in his achievements.
Djokovic said, "I am making my own path and making my own journey, my own history." "I've been privileged to be a part of the history of the sport that I love. As I said on the court, I know about a lot of statistics. I don't know about them all. But they make me more Inspire even more to play your best tennis at the events that matter most in our sport."