Novak Djokovic sends Federer and Nadal invitation live on BBC after record Wimbledon win
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Novak Djokovic sent his old rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal an unusual invitation to get on the beach and “sip a margarita” together after booking his spot in the third round of Wimbledon. The Serb has now reached the third round here 19 times - the most of any man in the Open Era, even more than his former foes.
No. 6 seed Djokovic breezed past Dan Evans, the British veteran who needed a wildcard to enter the main draw this year, sealing a statement 6-3 6-2 6-0 victory on Centre Court on Thursday afternoon. And he shared his exciting retirement plans in a live interview on the BBC.
It’s been 20 years since a teenage Djokovic made his main draw debut at Wimbledon, coming through qualifying. He made it all the way to the third round before losing to ninth seed Sebastien Grosjean.
Two decades later, a 38-year-old Djokovic is hunting his eighth Wimbledon title and a historic 25th Grand Slam title. But the Serb confessed that he never took a moment to look back and reflect on his journey - and claimed that he wanted to do that with Federer and Nadal by his side.
“I don’t pause to reflect, to be honest. I don't have time!” the former world No. 1 joked during his on-court interview.
“I think being on the highest level of professional tennis requires a lot of dedication on a daily basis, a weekly basis. We play a lot of tournaments, the season is nonstop, it basically starts January 1st and ends late November.
“I don’t play as much as I did before, but the weeks that I don’t play, I play at home with my kids. I don't reflect fully on everything I have been through.
“I would like to, but I think that’s going to come probably when I set the racket aside and I sip a margarita on the beach with Federer and Nadal and just reflect on our rivalry and everything!”
Djokovic now has 99 match wins at Wimbledon - he’ll be going for his 100th when he meets countryman Miomir Kecmanovic on Saturday - plus his record number of appearances in the third round. But he has his eyes on something bigger, the title.
He added: “This sport has given me so much, and I’ve said this a million times before but I have to repeat it again, Wimbledon still stays the most special tournament in my heart, the one that I always dreamed of winning when I was a kid.
“So any history made here is obviously extra special for me and it’s the beginning of the tournament so yes, I’m aware of the history on the line and obviously I’m in a privileged position to do that but at the same time, I’m thinking about the big things that I can make in this tournament.”
Later on Thursday, Djokovic joked that he didn't even like the cocktail - though he's still keen on catching up with Federer and Nadal. “I don't know why I said margaritas because I never had a margarita in my life. I don't necessarily like that drink, but I guess it sounds good,” he smiled.
“I do imagine that particularly the three of us, I mean, I do wish that one day we'll, in a more relaxed environment, reflect on the rivalries and everything that we've achieved and made for this sport. I think it would be great for us, and I think for all the other people knowing that we got together, so...”
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