Novak Djokovic had come to Wimbledon with the motto of title protection and great anticipation. We look behind the scenes of the seventh victory…
Grand Slams have a different magic and excitement. These biggest tournaments of tennis, each lasting two weeks, are seriously changing the course of history, especially now. How could it not? The “big three” era in men’s tennis, which has been going on since Roger Federer’s opening the curtain in 2003, still continues. To summarize the latest situation, three legends each had twenty slam titles before the Australian Open was played this year. Nadal, who was victorious in the Australian and then the French Open, found 22 and put the pressure on Djokovic’s shoulders. Federer, who has not been on the court for about a year due to his injury and is now approaching 41, is slowly getting out of the equation, while the race is now between the other two giants. Wimbledon, which we left behind, hosted a very important struggle in this context.
Novak Djokovic will be remembered as one of the biggest losers in tennis of the pandemic era. Serbian racket: in the darkest days of the epidemic, he came to the agenda with the special tournament he organized in Belgrade and the images that disregarded the social distance given there, he passed the slam, which was his favorite with the cancellation of 2020 Wimbledon, because he accidentally threw the ball in the neck of a line judge from the US Open in the same year. disqualified, refusing to be vaccinated, unable to qualify for the Australian Open in early 2022. It was critical that Rafael Nadal managed to make a two-slam lead in the race, given the conditions. Moreover, Djokovic’s victory at his stronghold in Melbourne made things even more interesting. As this Wimbledon began, there was a whole different kind of pressure on Djokovic, the six-time champion. Yes, he was the best grass court player in the world in recent years but playing when he had to win could have made things difficult even for him. On the other hand, Nadal’s extra-moral arrival in London with a two-for-one in Melbourne and Paris was another threat.
Novak Djokovic, the champion of the last three Wimbledons in men’s singles, entered the tournament by winning the match despite losing a set in front of Soon Woo Kwon. He had two 3-0 wins against Thanasi Kokkinakis and Miomir Kecmanovic. He defeated an opponent with high form like Tim van Rijthoven 3-1, and Jannik Sinner, who attracted attention with his impressive tennis, 2-0 despite falling back 3-2. The highly competitive Sinner match was one of the important headlines of 2022 Wimbledon. Nole then beat Britain’s Cameron Norrie in a single set and stood in the final against a brand-new name. While many were waiting for the Djokovic-Nadal duel in the Wimbledon final, Nick Kyrgios came from the bottom of the table. Despite reaching the semi-finals, Nadal, who could not play due to the tear in his abdomen, thus opened the door to one of the controversial names of the tour, the first slam final. Of course, Nole did not refuse the opportunity and played perfect tennis against his spectacular opponent in every sense. The seventh Wimbledon cup brought the situation 22-21 in the historic race.
But on the Djokovic front, the gray clouds have not yet completely dissipated. For example, it does not seem possible for him to go to the US Open at the end of August because he refused to be vaccinated, because the USA does not allow entry to the country with unvaccinated individuals other than its own citizens. It is also questionable whether he will be able to return to Australia, where he left last year, and therefore his participation in the 2023 Australian Open. Because he was deported, he may not be able to enter this country for three years according to the legislation. In other words, Novak, who often repeats how much he wants the biggest record in tennis, may not have the chance to play Grand Slam tennis again until the French Open in May next year. It is extremely critical for him to seize the opportunities he finds and to succeed under great stress, just like Wimbledon left behind. Like every great champion, there is no doubt that he will push the conditions to the end to reach the top.
