Nole Patrol is TENNIS.com's Wimbledon blog that will provide on-site news, insight and commentary on Novak Djokovic as he aims for a fifth consecutive Grand Slam singles title.
WIMBLEDON, England—He’s won the title for the past two years and three times overall, but Novak Djokovic is still harnessing the excitement of someone who’s making his maiden trip to the venerable All England Club.
“Even though I've been very blessed to achieve this childhood dream and win this tournament three times, I still feel that kind of excitement as I'm coming in for the first time,” the world No. 1 said in his pre-tournament press conference.
Since winning his first Roland Garros title three weeks ago, which he calls “one of the most memorable and beautiful moments” of his career, Djokovic hasn’t played a competitive match on grass, but that’s all part of the Serbian’s master plan. The decision to eschew tune-up tournaments has worked just fine for the past two years.
“[It’s] due to the very busy clay-court schedule, especially the first six months of the year where I'm very thankful to get as many matches under my belt as possible,” Djokovic said. “I thought that it's more important for me to just rejuvenate and rest a little bit from tennis and then come back preparing for Wimbledon.”
The level of domination Djokovic has demonstrated over the field this year has been awe-inspiring—he boasts a 44-3 record with six titles, including the Australian and French Opens, and the Indian Wells and Miami Masters. He’s halfway to matching (or surpassing?) last year’s astounding 82-6 mark, in which he won three major titles. But the 29-year-old is not having any trouble finding motivation.
“Obviously I'm at the peak of my career at the moment,” Djokovic said. “It hopefully can still keep going. I see still lots of room for improvement, things that I can work on. That's something that encourages me. That's something that keeps me grounded in a way, gives me more reason to practice.”
Djokovic is also halfway to a calendar-year Slam, and some Golden Slam talk has begun to stir in this Olympic year. But Djokovic’s immediate focus is much more manageable: his first-round opponent, British wild card James Ward, who he’s never played.
“Every time you face an opponent for the first time, it's always important to start off well and not allow your opponent to take his chances and opportunities,” Djokovic said about Ward.
As the first match on Centre Court on Monday, both Djokovic and world No. 177 Ward will enjoy an experience that’s regarded as the pinnacle of the sport.
“It's going to be the first match on the untouched grass,” Djokovic said. “That's probably one of the most special tennis matches that you get to experience as a professional tennis player. I’m looking forward to that.
“Centre Court is one of the cradles of our sport, will be hopefully packed, and we can enjoy a great match.”