She is seeded to reach the final, just as she did previous year and on the back of her French Open win is second favourite with the bookies but the odds are heavily against Gabrine Muguruza as she bids to win a second Grand Slam immediately after her first.
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Djokovic has beaten Murray in 13 of their last 15 meetings, but he still named the world number two, along with seven-time Wimbledon victor Federer, as his main rivals.
The 29-year-old Serbian is not easily satisfied though.
Since making her Wimbledon debut in 1998, Williams has enjoyed some of the greatest moments of her glittering career at the All England Club, but she makes a point of avoiding nostalgic thoughts of past glories. No wonder that when he was asked what he would see if he was across the net from Novak Djokovic right now, he admitted with a smile that “I like that side of staying with myself”. That’s something that encourages me. I think my style of game helps, but I don’t feel yet I am in my comfort zone.
He describes his Paris triumph three weeks ago as ” one of the most memorable and handsome moments of my career”, but the Djokovic memory bank has room for more major success.
Andy Murray of Britain speaks with coach Ivan Lendl ahead of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, June 26, 2016.
World number 177 Ward will know the size of the task: while Ward’s career earnings have just crept past the million-dollar mark, Djokovic has recently gone beyond 100 million United States dollars.
“Every time you face an opponent for the first time, it’s always important to start off well and not allow your opponent to take his chances and opportunities.” he added.
“It’s going to be the first match on the untouched grass”, Djokovic said. That’s probably one of the most special tennis matches that you get to experience as a tennis player.
“I’ve had people put me down because I didn’t look like them”, Williams said in a recent documentary. “It’s like sometimes I’m too tall, I don’t know, feel weird sometimes”.
But like Federer before him, like Murray, like the greats of the game, Djokovic thrives on the sense of occasion.
Speaking at his pre-Wimbledon press conference, the defending champion delivered a warning to all his rivals who think they can dethrone him. “It’s inevitable to face this kind of sensation as a top player, being expected to do well and to go as far as the last four at least in the tournament, or the finals”. That question – and more – answered below. The better you are in coping with it and handling it. I think particularly hard has just been looking ahead of what was to come: Paris, Wimbledon, Olympics, US Open.’ A season where Federer has withdrawn from many events at the beginning because of a knee surgery.
At Wimbledon, Djokovic won’t see Nadal, out with an injured left wrist. The women’s singles final is July 9; the men’s singles final is July 10. I’ve been familiar with the way the system works.
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“Well, I don’t want to sound arrogant”, Djokovic said after extending his Grand Slam winning streak to 28 matches, “but I really think everything is achievable in life”. I’m like, ‘There’s no way, I hate grass. I’m not in a position to more profoundly discuss this matter. I’m feeling pretty good.
