The grass courts of London have added a massive 7 Grand Slam title to Novak Djokovic’s decorated kit. And with his strong first-round win in straight sets, he has announced his contendership for his 8th Wimbledon crown. However, there may be some doubts about how long his knee would support him. But his ‘crazy’ comeback has the tennis circuit at the edge of its seats, as the times have changed. From being ruled out of the grass season, Djokovic is back to conquer Roger Federer’s legacy. But there is one thing he would prefer to avoid at Wimbledon: playing a British tennis player!

After claiming his first-round win at Wimbledon, the Serbian ace was questioned about his R2 opponent in the post-match conference. Djokovic would be facing Scottish wild card, Jacob Fearnley to proceed further into his grass campaign. Grabbing the moment, one of the journalists questioned Djokovic “just wonder if you know anything about him, you ever see him hit or something?” 

In what would be their first outing, Fearnley ranked 271, has skipped the attention of the Serbian ace until now. Admitting the fact that he knows nothing about his 2R opponent except the fact that he has been granted a wildcard, Djokvoic said, “No, no, I haven’t seen him hit. I don’t really know anything about him. So I’ll have to do my homework and I know he was granted a wildcard to play in the tournament.” But the World No.2 is not taking any opponent lightly as he would do his homework to analyse his recent match.

However, there was one thing among all that Djokovic was particular about, “you never like to play British in Wimbledon.” The reason for this was not brain-racking. No one would want to face a British in front of their home crowd, as they would certainly have all the support from fans in the stands. Concurring with it, Djokovic said, “Obviously him being British, he is going to have the crowd.” However, Djokovic is famous for drawing energy when the crowd stands against him with the opponent. He has had years of practice with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer being fan favorites, as he struggled to get through them.

Though water has flown under the bridge, this would come in handy as the Serbian ace faces Fearnley amidst the English crowd. It certainly leaves one wondering how much energy could the Scottish tennis star draw from the crowd, and whether it would it be enough to get him past Djokovic’s precise play. Only the game would answer it all, and more. But this would be the first time in 2 decades (2003-2023) when none of the Big 4 are running the grass as favorites. Instead, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner stand at the pedestal basking on the grass as favorites!

Can Jannik Sinner restrict ‘wild card’ Novak Djokovic’s grass campaign?

After sharing 19 of the 20 editions among themselves, the 2024 edition is seen as an open to all contests. Though Djokovic may have sliced those thoughts with his racquet in the first round and would love to continue his form to extend his campaign on the grass, as he looks forward to “maintaining this good sensation, good feelings on the court.” But Andy Roddick feels Sinner’s stellar form can certainly overpower ‘wild card’ Djokovic on the grass, as he picked him the winner!

After his miraculous return after surgery, Roddick thinks that Djokovic is somewhat like a wild card player with a relatively easy draw. He said, “I think Sinner, if he can get through that tough section, especially early on, he’s going to be battle-tested, battle-hardened. And I think he will have the best chance in that situation. But certainly, Djokovic, he’s a bit of the wildcard here.”

Who would be the prey and who would turn into a predator? Would experience come to Novak Djokovic’s rescue when he faces the hungry young generation?