As Novak Djokovic prepares to defend his Wimbledon title, we take a look at the candidates who could pose him a formidable challenge
Not many players aside from Rafael Nadal has been able to give Novak Djokovic a run for his money in recent times. Novak Djokovic might have had his ups and downs in the last couple of years. However, hardly any other player has showcased the bouncebackability as the Serbian has.
The 2021 Roland Garros witnessed Novak Djokovic becoming the only player in the open era to win all four grand slams at least twice, success he’ll want to emulate at Wimbledon. The 34-year old kept heightening his level with each passing game, resulting in one of the memorable grand slam wins of his career. As a result, his tally rose to 19 – one short of Rafael Nadal’s and Roger Federer’s accomplishments.
Djokovic dethroned Nadal in the semi-final by producing one of the most remarkable comebacks in the French Open by taking the King of Clay to his limits. The Serb came up with yet another high-quality gameplay in the final against Stefanos Tsitsipas. He bounced back from 0-2 to win the next three sets and took the trophy.
With the Wimbledon 2021 just around the corner, there remains little doubt about the world number one, Novak Djokovic and his hunger to defend his title successfully. Djokovic undeniably can succeed in the grass-court and take the crown home. But there are some thorns in his way, candidates who could give a run for the money.
Five players who could be a threat to Novak Djokovic Wimbledon title
Andy Murray
Andy Murray had to spend a long time on the sidelines due to undergoing a hip resurfacing surgery apart from several niggles. It hampered Andy Murray’s return to the sport on several occasions. However, the British Tennis star marked his comeback in the Cinch Championships this year. But it has not been an encouraging one.
Murray did beat Benoit Paire in the first round; however, Matteo Berrettini defeated him in straight sets in the second. But Murray, a wildcard entrant this year, holds the upper hand over Djokovic. The 34-year old has beaten the Serbian in the 2013 Wimbledon decider and leads him 2-0 on the grass court surface.
Nevertheless, Murray’s lack of match practice and his reduced abilities has put a massive question mark on his performance. His second-round exit against Berrettini reinforced the fact. With Djokovic in top nick, Murray has to be the least impactful player on this list. It would be the 34-year old’s first Grand Slam event since the 2020 Roland Garros.
Dominic Thiem
Austria’s Dominic Thiem hasn’t played his best Tennis in recent months – his recent records suggesting so. Dominic Thiem’s best performance in 2021 so far has been to the semi-finals, which he reached during the Madrid Open. Alexander Zverev ended his campaign by beating him in straight sets.
The Australian Open saw him exiting in the fourth round by losing to Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets. On the other hand, his run at the 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships came to an end after the first round, sustaining a loss to Lloyd Harris. Furthermore, Thiem made it to the quarter-finals in Qatar.
Lorenzo Sonego consigned the Austrian to a third-round exit at the Italian Open before heading to the French Open. The Roland Garros could not have ended more abysmally for the 27-year old. Spain’s Pablo Andujar knocked him out of the first round by inflicting a defeat on him despite being two sets down.
Thiem’s underwhelming record at Wimbledon and grass surface is reason enough to not put him on the list. However, he defeated Roger Federer on the way to his only grasscourt title, coming in Stuttgart in 2016. The Austrian might be low on confidence owing to his recent results; however, he remains a dark horse. Thiem’s decision to skip the Olympics could mean that he would be more committed to doing well in Wimbledon.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
The Tennis fraternity has seen a meteoric rise of the Greek youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas in recent times and earmarked him to be a future star. Stefanos Tsitsipas’ rise began in the ATP Finals of 2019 when he defeated Dominic Thiem to win it for the first time.
Tsitsipas made it to the semi-final of the 2020 French Open; however, he lost to Novak Djokovic, the runner-up of the tournament. The 22-year old was unfortunate to be eliminated for the second time in the Australian Open 2020 after losing to Daniil Medvedev.
But the youngster became the first Greek player to win his first ATP Masters 1000 title in April and proceeded to beat Cameron Norrie in straight sets to win the 2021 Lyon Open. Nevertheless, a heartbreak awaited at the Roland Garros 2021. Even being up by 2-0 could not prevent Djokovic from winning his second French Open.
But while Tsitsipas’ record at Wimbledon is unimpressive and has no grasscourt titles yet, he claims to love playing on the surface. Speaking to The West Australian, he remarked that adapting quickly to the track is the key and believes he has the game to thrive on it.
“I see opportunities there for me. I like the grass. I like playing on grass. I didn’t have the best results few years ago, before COVID, when I last played on grass. I’m going to try and adapt my game to this surface. I think I have the game to play good on grass, too. I just need to be open-minded and adapt my game to this surface,”
Roger Federer
It would be highly naive to count out Roger Federer, the player with the most Wimbledon titles despite his recent struggles. Roger Federer just managed to edge out Dominik Koepfer in the fourth round of the Roland Garros 2021 before withdrawing from it. The veteran returned to the Halle Open 2021, but it ended in a nightmare.
The 39-year old advanced to the second round by beating Ilya Ivashka in the first. But the Swiss lost to the 19-year old Felix Auger-Aliassime. Nevertheless, Federer’s eight Wimbledon titles are hard to ignore and it’s his skill on the grasscourt that also counts. But his lack of match practice and injuries leaves him vulnerable. It calls into question whether Federer can even reach the distance to face his arch-rival Djokovic at a later stage.
Matteo Berrettini
Matteo Berrettini perhaps looks in the best nick and the closest contender to challenge the defending champion this year. Matteo Berrettini started the grasscourt season exceptionally well, winning the Queen’s Championships on his debut.
Aside from his victory this year, the Italian has a Stuttgart title too – making it 2 grasscourt crowns. Berrettini has adapted splendidly to the quickness of the grass surface, unleashing a ripping serve. He managed to eke out more than ten aces in the first round match of the Queen’s Championships against Stefano Travaglia.
While the 25-year old has a hammer-like forehand, is a proficient volleyer, and has refined his net play, he needs to improve his backhand play to beat Novak Djokovic. But the Italian’s chances stand enhanced due to the aforementioned skills, which also include a good return game.