On the grass court where he won the first of seven trophies in 2011, his 100th victory also arrived - Novak Djokovic is one of the greatest Wimbledon legends, and he achieved his anniversary victory at this tournament against Miomir Kecmanovic.
The duel between two tennis players from Serbia did not bring a single bit of drama, everything was in the rhythm of a legend - Djokovic celebrated with an easy 6:3, 6:0, 6:4.
Only Roger Federer and Martina Navratilova had reached the number 100 on the legendary grass court before him.
"It's a privilege to be in such company. Wimbledon is my favorite tournament and there's no big story there. As a boy, I dreamed of playing here, and when I make history like I do now, it feels special," said Djokovic.
It all started exactly two decades ago, in 2005. Novak Djokovic's first match and first victory at Wimbledon - it was against the now retired Argentine, Juan Monaco (3:0).
Between the victories over Monaco and Kecmanović, there were 24 Grand Slam titles - seven Wimbledon titles and three more finals at the famous SW19 address.
When it comes to Grand Slam tournaments, it is interesting that Djokovic has one more victory at Roland Garros (101), while Rafael Nadal has achieved the most triumphs at one of the four biggest tournaments - also in Paris (112).
He is followed by Federer with 105 wins at Wimbledon, 102 at the Australian Open, and Djokovic with 101 and 100 from Paris and London.
Nole will, without a doubt, improve these numbers...
- I had the feeling that this was either 2011 or 2015, that's how my friend and today's rival played - Kecmanović replied when asked how he assessed Novak Djokovic's form.
- If he plays like this, he will win 20 more slams! He served like crazy, you wonder what to do on the court. I am pleased that I did not enter the match with fear, but the level was very high on his part - added Kecmanović.
It was the fourth duel between the two best tennis players from Serbia and the fourth victory for Djokovic. Interestingly, it was also the first since 2022, when they also met on the courts of the "All England Club", and Novak won in three sets.
- We have met on many surfaces, but we have always been great friends above all. In addition, this was my first match, and if Viktor Troicki was in the opposing box, I hope it will be my last - emphasized Djokovic.
The great, who turned 38 in May, continues his march towards another Wimbledon, towards another Grand Slam title - his rival in the round of XNUMX will be Alex de Minor, who defeated Dane Holmgren in three sets.
- He plays the tennis of his life, he has improved a lot in recent years. He is knocking on the door of the final stages of the slams, he has reached the quarterfinals several times. He has not lost a set so far, he is playing well. You never really look forward to playing on grass with him - he is precise, fast, I am expecting a very difficult challenge. It will be a great test to see what level my game is at - said Novak.
If he gets past De Minora, he could meet an old acquaintance - Marin Čilić.
The Croat is playing like a reborn player at Wimbledon, from which he has been absent for four years. Yesterday, he defeated Spaniard Jaime Munar (6:3, 3:6, 6:2, 6:4) and showed that his great triumph over Briton Jack Draper a round earlier was not just a momentary flash.
To get to Djokovic, Čilić must also beat Italian Flavius Coboli, who had no problems against Jakub Menšik, even though the Czech was the favorite - 6:2, 6:4, 6:2.
Janik Siner's form is also improving, as he didn't struggle against Spaniard Pedro Martinez - 6:1, 6:3, 6:1, and now Grigor Dimitrov awaits him.
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