Djokovic eyes redemption at Wimbledon amid tempestuous season

London, June 24 (BNA): The season has not ended as he had expected Novak Djokovic’s return in January but the former world number one is hoping for compensation at Wimbledon as he looks to defend his title and is close to 22 for Rafael Nadal. Grand Slam titles.

The 35-year-old Serbian won the last three editions of Wimbledon in 2018, 2019 and last year, with the 2020 tournament canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He was also on course for a rare 2021 Grand Slam title after winning his first three majors, before losing to Russian Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final.

Any hopes of a repeat performance this season were quickly dashed with his high-profile detention and deportation ahead of the Australian Open in January due to his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

He then missed a series of American Championships for the same reason and only trained seriously once the European clay season began.

The win in Rome was a much-needed confidence booster ahead of the French Open, but he lost in the quarter-finals in Paris to later winner Nadal.

Djokovic, the favorite for Wimbledon, has 20 Grand Slam titles to his name, as did Roger Federer, while Nadal, who won his 14th title at Roland Garros, advanced two.

Wimbledon has been a very fertile hunting ground for Djokovic, who has won the title six times, second only to Federer (8) and Pete Sampras (7) for most wins there in the open era.

The tournament was stripped of any rating points by the men’s ATP and the women’s WTA after its organizers decided to ban the participation of players from Russia and Belarus.

However, it wouldn’t matter to Djokovic, even though he can’t defend the points he won there last year. Wimbledon may be its last major tournament of the year as the United States requires foreign visitors to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

With world number one Medvedev banned due to Russia’s “special operation” in Ukraine and second seed Alexander Zverev missing through injury, Djokovic will be number one when the main Wimbledon draw begins next week.

The competition will come from Nadal and Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, as well as Italian Matteo Berrettini, who has already won two titles on grass this month in Stuttgart and Queens.

Berrettini has so far won 20 of his last 21 matches played on grass, his only loss in last year’s Wimbledon final to Djokovic.

Djokovic’s dismissal for his turbulent season so far should come with a warning of the dangers, as the Serb is known for his resilience and mental strength, especially on the big occasions.

What remains is whether he can alter his season by winning at Wimbledon or if he will need to write it off altogether.

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