Novak Djokovic heads to Wimbledon this summer on a mission. The reigning champion is looking to secure a record-equalling eighth crown at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, first set by the great Roger Federer in 2017.
The Serbian sensation has won seven out of the last 11 singles titles on offer in SW19, which is simply incredible and further highlights why he is the greatest player of all time.
It also shows just how difficult it is to deny Djokovic glory on this stage. Only four people have been able to take him down over the past decade, which in itself is a remarkable achievement.
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2012 - Roger Federer (Semi-Final) 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6
Djokovic was the favourite for Wimbledon in 2012 after securing his first success there the year before. After beating Rafael Nadal on Centre Court ‘11, he was denied a successive crown in SW19 by Wimbledon hero Federer. It was on this occasion that the Swiss icon claimed his seventh Wimbledon title after a three-year drought, to maintain the Slam’s position as his domain.
2013 - Andy Murray (Final) - 4-6, 5-7, 4-6
There was no shame in Djokovic losing out in this final 10 years ago as it was a monumental moment for British tennis that was long overdue. Andy Murray won Wimbledon for the first time in his career and became the first male Brit to do so in the Open Era.
With the home crowd behind a prime Murray, Djokovic was always up against it on Centre Court despite being the favourite for the tournament once again. After Murray had lost out on his shining moment to Federer the year before, the stars had finally aligned for him in 2013 and he was simply unstoppable, as the straight sets victory showed.
2016 - Sam Querrey (Third Round) - 6-7(6), 1-6, 6-3, 6-7(5)
This one was a huge shock which reverberated around the world, and was Djokovic’s lowest finish in SW19 since 2008. American Sam Querrey stunned the tournament favourite and world number one in the third round in a four-set clash.
Djokovic was in fine form heading to SW19. He became the first male player to win the first two Slams of the year since 1992, so no one could have foreseen such a premature exit. Not to mention he was on track to claim a third successive Wimbledon title. He just happened to come across the American at a time when he was playing the match of his life. It was unquestionably one of Wimbledon’s greatest ever shocks.
2017 - Tomas Berdych (Quarter-Finals) - 6-7(2), 0-2 (Walkover)
A year after his shock exit to Querrey, Djokovic was hoping to make amends in south west London. However, fortune was not on his side on this occasion as he had to retire during the second set of his clash with Tomas Berdych, the fifth time he had retired at a Grand Slam in his career but the first since 2009.
He retired due to an elbow injury which he was clearly struggling with, and his hopes of reclaiming the Wimbledon crown evaporated. Fortune was not on his side in 2017 as he didn’t win a single major title, with the quarter-final stage at Wimbledon and the French Open his best performance on the Grand Slam stage.
