Wimbledon 2022: Novak Djokovic unfazed by lack of practice games on grass before the Grand Slam
Novak Djokovic will be chasing his 21st Grand Slam during Wimbledon 2022. However, he has not had any practise matches before the tournament and seems to be not bothered by it.
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20-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia will be chasing his 21st during the 2022 Wimbledon that gets underway at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London from Monday. The world number three has been heavily tipped as the favourite to retain the championship he won last year for the sixth time. However, he interestingly did not play any of the warm-up grass-court tournaments ahead of the Slam, making many somewhat doubt his chances, besides wondering what could be the reason behind it. However, Djokovic is unfazed by the lack of practice and is seemingly confident heading into the event.
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During the pre-tournament press conference in London on Saturday, Djokovic stated, "I didn't have any lead-up tournaments to Wimbledon, but I've had success in Wimbledon in the past without having any official matches and tournaments. Over the years, I had success with adapting quickly to the surface, so there is no reason not to believe I can do it again. Over the years, I learned how to play more efficiently on the surface."
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"At the beginning of my career, I struggled a bit with movement and sliding, et cetera. I think the movement is the biggest one, really, the biggest adaptation that needs to be done on the grass coming from the clay, where players like myself slide quite a lot. On grass, that's not always possible. It is possible to slide, but you can't do it as frequently or as often or maybe as free as you do it on clay," added Djokovic.
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"You must be more careful with the movement, tactics, et cetera, different training regimens, positions on the court. You have to be lower; everything kind of skids through the court. It's rapid and bounces low, contrary to the clay, which bounces high," Djokovic continued, speaking on the difference while playing on grass and other surfaces.
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Speaking on his chances of equalling Pete Sampras's record of seven Wimbledon titles, Djokovic wondered, "I would like to be in the [final] to make history eventually. Pete Sampras winning his first Wimbledon was the first tennis match I've ever seen on the TV. So, of course, there is a lot of connection to this tournament. Pete has won it seven times. Hopefully, I can do the same this year."
