(In Images) Roger Federer Tests New Wilson Rackets During Practice at Wimbledon

He was in the stands of Centre Court watching his longtime rival Novak Djokovic beat Alex de Minaur to secure a berth in the quarterfinals. Following this, the Serb said he was relieved that he broke the curse of losing matches while Federer watched him from the stands.

The 43-year-old was also in the stands during the Jannik Sinner versus Grigor Dimitrov fourth-round match. He looked concerned when the Bulgarian ace, after taking two sets off the World No.1, injured his right pectoral muscle while hitting an ace during the third set and eventually handed a walkover to the three-time Grand Slam champion.

Nick Kyrgios claims Novak Djokovic was playing to make Roger Federer jealous in the fourth round

Roger Federer was the first player of the legendary Big 3 to hang up his racket. Rafael Nadal joined him on the retirement list last year after Spain’s defeat to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup in November.

Novak Djokovic is the last member of this trio still competing and chasing history. If he wins Wimbledon, he will tie the tally with Federer’s title count at the grass Major but for sure the path to that is not at all easy for him.

In the fourth round, Alex de Minaur handed him a breadstick in the first set. But he was successful in forcing a comeback and eke out the win with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 scoreline. According to Nick Kyrgios, Djokovic tried to produce his best tennis to make Federer jealous of him. He said on ‘White and Jordan live’ on TalkSport:

I just think that Djokovic is that type of personality, and this is why I love him so much. He would probably see Roger there and think I am going to try and play some of my best tennis in front of Roger to make him feel jealous that I’m still here competing for Grand Slams.

Federer had met the 24-time Grand Slam champion 50 times, winning 23 of those matches. Although the debate of who is the best between Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic will continue for a long time, in the eyes of Kyrgios, Djokovic is the ultimate GOAT (greatest of all time).

I genuinely think he has that mindset that he wanted to show Roger that he is the greatest of all time. That’s genuinely what I think he was trying to do yesterday. To beat Alex de Minaur pretty simply in the last couple of sets is not easy.

Nick Kyrgios added

Kyrgios is not participating in the tournament because of fitness issues. He has so far played four tournaments this season and could win just one match, i.e. the first round of the Miami Open.

Djokovic, on the other hand, will next lock horns with Italy’s Flavio Cobolli, who knocked out 2017 Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic. The 38-year-old Serbian could schedule a blockbuster clash with Jannik Sinner if they both reach the semifinals.

Djokovic has not yet tasted success in Majors since the 2023 US Open. Before this season, he has made it to the finals of every Wimbledon since 2018, losing only in the last two seasons, to Carlos Alcaraz, against who, he could again play in the championship clash.