Novak Djokovic playfully teased Roger Federer after his fourth-round victory at Wimbledon 2025. Djokovic expressed relief at finally winning a match with Federer in attendance, breaking a perceived “curse.”
The World No.6 and Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic took a cheeky jab at Swiss tennis star Roger Federer, who was present at Centre Court for Djokovic’s fourth-round clash with Alex de Minaur of Australia at Wimbledon 2025 on Monday, July 7.
The 38-year-old sealed his spot in the quarterfinals with a four-set victory over de Minaur - 1-6, 6-4,6-4, 6-4 in three hours and 18 minutes. For the second time, the Serbian star dropped a set in his ongoing campaign at a grass-court Grand Slam event. The first came in his first-round match against Alexandre Muller of France, winning the match in four sets.
Novak Djokovic was dominated by Alex de Minaur in the opening set, as the veteran player was unable to find his rhythm, leaving the crowd at Centre Court stunned and murmuring about a potential upset. However, Djokovic flipped the script with his trademark resilience and tactical brilliance to bounce back with his successive wins in the next three sets in order to storm into his 16th Wimbledon quarterfinal.
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‘So it's good to break the curse’
Speaking during the on-court interview after the fourth-round win, Djokovic expressed his happiness to break the ‘curse’ of losing the match in the presence of Roger Federer.
“It's probably the first time he's watching me and I've won the match. In the last couple, I lost the match, so it's good to break the curse," the 38-year-old as Federer agreed with him by nodding his head.
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer were long-time rivals, having faced off 50 times in their career, with the Serbian having a 27-23 lead over the Swiss. At Wimbledon, the two have met four times, with Novak Djokovic leading 3-1 over Roger Federer.
The last face-off between Djokovic and Federer at Wimbledon was in the thrilling 2019 final, where the Serbian saved two championship points and edged past the seven-time champion in an epic five-set thriller to clinch his fifth Wimbledon title.
Djokovic’s admiration for Federer
Further speaking about Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic expressed his respect and admiration for the Swiss tennis legend, who retired from his illustrious career in 2022, and reflected on sharing the stage for many years at his ‘favourite’ Grand Slam event.
“It's great to have Roger here, a huge champion and someone I admired and respected a lot.” Djokovic said.
“We've shared the stage for so many years, and it's great to have him back in his most successful and favourite tournament, no doubt,” he added.
Roger Federer holds the record for the most titles won by a male player at Wimbledon. The last Championships triumph by the Swiss tennis legend was in 2017, defeating Marin Cilic of Croatia. Additionally, Federer holds the record for the match wins (105) by a male player at the grass-court tournament.
Recently, Novak Djokovic joined Roger Federer and Martina Navratilova joined the elite of players with 100th-match win at Wimbledon.
Three wins away from equalling Federer’s record
After sealing the quarterfinal berth, Novak Djokovic has continued his quest for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, which has been waiting for him since 2024. This year, the Serbian lost the chance of breaking the jinx with Margaret, Court, with whom he shares a record 24 Grand Slam titles, twice following semifinal losses at the Australian Open and French Open,
Additionally, if Djokovic clinches his Wimbledon title this year, he would equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon men’s singles titles — the most by any male player in the tournament’s history.
Novak Djokovic lost his last two Wimbledon finals to Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz, including the 2023 title clash and 2024 rematch, both of which denied him a record-equalling eighth crown at the All England Club.
