Novak Djokovic embraces pressure like it is his biggest strength. While playing his 400th Grand Slam match, the Serbian was put under pressure by Russia’s Andrey Rublev in the Wimbledon 2023 quarterfinals on Tuesday at the Centre Court.
The Russian took the first set but Djokovic had his chances to break his opponent’s serve on a few occasions. However, the Serb was relentless in the second set, taking it by 6-1, as he didn’t give an inch to the 25-year-old Rublev.
The third set was once again a see-saw battle and Rublev had a few chances to earn back his break in the 10th game but he could not manage it as Djokovic held his nerves in crunch situations. In the end, Djokovic earned a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 victory to make it to his 46th Grand Slam semifinal, leveling with Roger Federer.
“I love it,” he said of having the proverbial target on his back. “I think any tennis player wants to be in a position where everyone wants to win against you. I think it is a privilege, as Billie Jean [King] said. Pressure is part of what we do, it’s part of our sport. It’s never going to go away…
“I know that they want to get a scalp, they want to win. But it ain’t happening, still,” he added with a laugh. “Very humble!”
Djokovic showered praise on Andrey Rublev, who lost his eighth Grand Slam quarterfinal.
“There were some thrilling rallies. Andrey is a guy a respect a lot,” Djokovic said post-match.
“Obviously he brings a lot of intensity on the court, you can see by the way he’s grunting after his shots. Especially on the forehand, it’s kind of scary — both the ball that is coming from that corner and the sound as well,” he continued, drawing laughs from the crowd.
Novak Djokovic will face Jannik Sinner in the semifinal on Friday at Centre Court.
