Djokovic completes decade of midfield dominance with win over Wawrinka | Tennis news

It seems inevitable. With every point, every set and every win, there seems to be no one better as Novak Djokovic, the defending champion for the past four years, keeps adding to his jaw-dropping numbers at Wimbledon. But the stat that stood out late Friday night at SW19 after his lopsided third-round match against familiar rival Stan Wawrinka was that the Serb spanned more than a decade on one of tennis’ most iconic courts, Center Court. , will engrave his name at the top of the venue’s 101-year history. (Wimbledon 2023 Day 6 Live Updates)

6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (5) against the three-time Grand Slam winner, Djokovic booked his place in the second week of Wimbledon for the 15th time in his career. But with the win, Djokovic marked ten years since he last lost on his beloved Center Court. Since losing to Andy Murray on July 7, 2013 in what was a highlight-reel match, the Serb has won 42 straight matches, still the most by any player since Center Court opened in 1922. The next best streak is eight. -time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer and Helen Wills Moody, who had both won 32 matches in a row on Center Court. Federer’s streak was from 2003-2008 and Wills Moody’s was from 1927-1938.

The win extends his Grand Slam winning streak to 24 after losing to Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the French Open last year. It was also his 31st consecutive win at Wimbledon, surpassing the legendary Pete Sampras, who had recorded this streak from 1997-2001. Only Bjrn Borg (41, 1976–1981) and Roger Federer (40, 2003–2008) have won. won more consecutive men’s singles titles at Wimbledon in the Open Era.

In the quarterfinals, the defending champion will face 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz, who beat 14th seed Lorenzo Musetti 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-4 earlier on Day 5 of Wimbledon 2023. This will be their sixth meeting on the ATP Tour, and not the 36- year old never lost to a Pole. They had previously met each other at the 2019 Wimbledon in the third round, where Djokovic won in four sets.