Novak Djokovic has warned rivals dreaming of a big win against him at Wimbledon that ‘it ain’t happening’. The 23-time Grand Slam winner threw humility to one side on Centre Court after beating Andrey Rublev in four sets and marching through to the semi-finals at SW19.
Eyebrows were raised at the All England Club when Rublev went a set to the good on Tuesday evening. However, as has been seen so often, that only awakened a beast inside Djokovic, and it was a one-sided match from then on.
Although Rublev played his part in several memorable rallies that got the Centre Court crowd off their seats, he was no match for Djokovic on the day, with the Serb now steaming towards a semi-final clash against Jannik Sinner on Friday.
After the match, which was won in four sets that unfolded in just under three hours, Djokovic was asked how it feels to be the player everyone else wants to beat. “I love it,” he responded.
“Any tennis player wants to be in that position. It’s a privilege. Pressure is part of what we do regardless of how many Grand Slams you’ve won.
“It awakens the most beautiful emotions in me and it motivates me beyond what I’ve ever dreamed of. It inspires me to play my best tennis. I know they want to get a scalp but… it ain’t happening.”
Among those who could take Djokovic’s words to heart is Sinner, who powered through to the semi-finals courtesy of a four-set win over Roman Safiullin on Tuesday. World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz may also sit up and take note, with the Spaniard projected to meet Djokovic in this year’s Wimbledon final.
In beating Rublev, Djokovic reached the 46th Grand Slam semi-final of his career, equalling the men’s record set by Roger Federer. However, the Serb maintains that he is focused on other things until the tournament concludes.
“In terms of the numbers, thank you for bringing them up but they’re just the numbers,” added the 36-year-old. “I don’t spend too much time thinking about statistics during the tournament.
“It’s active for me and I’m still in it, that’s all I’m thinking about right now. It’s only going to get tougher, I know that, but I like the way I played today and hopefully I’ll have anoter win in a few days’ time.”
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