London [UK], June 27 (ANI): Serbian tennis icon Novak Djokovic on Saturday said that he is “better prepared” for Wimbledon than he was for the French Open. Given his love for playing on grass surfaces and his fine record at the tournament, he is feeling a “higher dose of confidence” heading into the tournament.
Having not competed competitively since going down to youngster Joao Fonseca in a five-set match at the French Open third round, the seven-time Wimbledon champion continues his chase for the 25th Grand Slam title and eighth Wimbledon title. He has not won a Grand Slam title since 2023, having last won the US Open. Since then, it has largely been a Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner show at the Grand Slams.
The former world number one said ahead of the tournament, as quoted by ATP’s official website, “I think it is different in terms of my overall physical state. I think I am better prepared here than I was for Roland Garros. Obviously, playing on grass, compared to clay, you do not need to exert as much physical effort. So that is better for me.”
“I always loved playing on grass. I have a very good score here, history, in Wimbledon. That gives me a higher dose of confidence coming into the tournament,” he added.
Djokovic is making his first tour-level appearance on grass court since his Wimbledon semifinal appearance last year, where he lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner. But Djokovic still believes as he arrives for another shot at major glory. Djokovic, who suffered a major upset to Fonseca, feels Wimbledon can serve as a perfect launch pad for his response.
A shoulder injury halted Djokovic’s 2026 season and limited him to just three tour-level appearances since his runners-up finish in the Australian Open this January. But now for his 21st Wimbledon, the Serbian reflected on his recovery and current physical condition.
“Roland Garros was physically very draining, demanding,” Djokovic said. “Three matches that I played, all of them went almost four hours. But I am proud of the effort. I lost in the third round against a 20-years-younger opponent, fought until the end in five sets, almost four and whatever hours that we played. Maybe not the result I was looking for, but the effort was there,” he added.
“Anyway, I was planning to peak at Wimbledon after the injury to my shoulder, which kind of kept me away from the Tour for several months. I knew not having any matches, official matches on the tour, going pretty much straight into Roland Garros, is going to be quite difficult. Maybe too big of a challenge for me at the moment. That has what happened,” he added.
Djokovic will start against China’s Wu Yibing in their first head-to-head meeting. (ANI)
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