Novak Djokovic has his sights on winning an elusive 25th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon this year.
Djokovic is a seven-time Wimbledon champion, but has not won a title at the grass court major since 2022.
The Serbian has not won any Grand Slam since the 2023 US Open, with Djokovic losing in the third round of Roland Garros.
As he looks to challenge for a record 25th Grand Slam at Wimbledon, Djokovic has been given some advice by former top 30 player Steve Johnson.
Steve Johnson tells Novak Djokovic what he needs to do in the first week of Wimbledon
When discussing the men’s singles draw ahead of Wimbledon on the latest episode of the Nothing Major Podcast, it was revealed that Johnson had actually predicted Djokovic to win his eighth title at the grass court major at the start of the year.
John Isner and Sam Querrey were opting for world number one Sinner instead, but Johnson admitted he had lost some confidence in Djokovic at Grand Slams.
Johnson then pointed out the importance for Djokovic of him getting through the first week of Wimbledon without any obstacles.
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“Outside of a second week here I’m starting to lose confidence in Novak at the big tournaments,” said Johnson. “He’s proven that he can do it for the last 30 years, but there’s more of a doubt now because he didn’t do it at the French, we don’t know what he’s going to do at Wimby but.”
Isner responded, “I disagree. The guy’s always confident. He’s not out there like not completely trusting his shots, he doesn’t have like confidence dips
“…I just think he can manage his way through the draw and get into position where he can then completely empty the tank, let’s say, from the quarters on. I think he’s in a good position to do that. I liked how he looked at Roland Garros.”
Johnson added, “He’s just got to get through the first week like super unscathed. He’s just got to find a way to get through the first three rounds, no stress, two hours, two [hours] 20 [minutes], get out of there. Use it as a practice week.”
Who is Novak Djokovic playing in the first round of Wimbledon?
Djokovic now knows who he will play at Wimbledon this year, with the draw being confirmed for this year’s tournament.
In the first round, Djokovic will take on world number 99 Yibing Wu, who he has never played before in his career, with two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas a potential second round opponent.
The first seeded player Djokovic can face is Arthur Rinderknech in the third round, with the potential of facing Joao Fonseca, who beat him at Roland Garros, in the fourth round.
One of the most significant things for Djokovic was which half of the draw he would appear in, and he is in the top half with world number one and defending champion Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic beat Sinner at the Australian Open earlier this year, but lost to the Italian in the Wimbledon semi-finals last year.
The Serbian will play his first round match at Wimbledon on Monday, June 29.
