LONDON — Novak Djokovic warned his Wimbledon rivals Sunday that he still hasn’t reached his full potential as the world No. 1 bids to move a step closer to a historic calendar Grand Slam.
Djokovic is a strong favorite to win Wimbledon for the fourth time after lifting the trophy at the All England Club for the last two years.
Beating Andy Murray in the French Open final earlier this month brought the Serb the only Grand Slam missing from his collection and if he can retain the Wimbledon and US Open titles he will become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to complete a remarkable sweep of the four major prizes in one year.
But, on the eve of his Wimbledon first-round tie against British wildcard James Ward, Djokovic made a revelation about the need to further improve his game that should give his fellow contenders for the title a few sleepless nights.
“Obviously I’m at the peak of my career at the moment. I see still lots of room for improvement, things that I can work on,” Djokovic told reporters at Wimbledon.
“That’s something that encourages me. That’s something that keeps me grounded in a way, gives me more reason to practise.
“I can certainly say I’ve been working hard to get consistency on all kinds of surfaces.”
While Djokovic might see a few imperfections that can be worked on, those flaws have been almost impossible for opponents to detect.
The 29-year-old has won six of the last eight Grand Slams, taking him to a career tally of 12 — within two of Rafael Nadal’s mark and five behind the record 17 of Roger Federer.
Djokovic last failed to reach a Grand Slam final at the 2014 US Open and has reached seven finals, winning six of them, in 2016.
Asked how it would feel to face a player of his caliber, Djokovic reflected the thoughts of the majority of the men’s tour when he laughed: “Well, I don’t want to go on the other side! (of the net).”
Djokovic has beaten Murray in 13 of their last 15 meetings, but he still named the world No. 2, along with seven-time Wimbledon winner Federer, as his main rivals.
“I would say Andy Murray and Roger because of their rankings, their history of playing well, and winning this tournament, especially Roger for so many times,” Djokovic said.
Serena Williams, meanwhile, insists she doesn’t feel under pressure to retain the title and finally end her long wait to win a 22nd Grand Slam crown.
When Williams left the All England Club after defeating Garbine Muguruza in the final 12 months ago, she held all four major titles and was on the verge of a historic calendar Grand Slam.
But the world No. 1’s bid for tennis immortality crumbled when she suffered a shock defeat against Italy’s Roberta Vinci in the US Open semifinals.
Since then the 34-year-old American has looked scarred by her loss in New York and also burdened by the expectation she will equal Steffi Graf’s Open era record of 22 Grand Slam titles.
Williams stumbled in the Australian and French Open finals this year and, if she fails to retain the Wimbledon trophy in two weeks’ time, she will be left without a single Grand Slam in her possession.
Asked on Sunday if she felt a growing desperation to get her hands on some silverware again, Williams said: “It was a great accomplishment to win four Grand Slams in a row twice in my career. It’s pretty cool.
“This year I don’t feel as much tension as I usually do. I’m feeling pretty good. Honestly, I don’t feel any pressure or stress. I feel good and confident.”
With opponents no longer seeming so intimidated by her and the American spending time on her interests in the fashion and entertainment industries, there is a sense that a long-awaited changing of the guard could happen at the top of the women’s game.
Muguruza avenged her Wimbledon loss by beating Williams in the French Open final earlier this month and, like the Spanish world N2. 2, German fourth seed Angelique Kerber has no reason to fear Williams after her Australian Open triumph in January.
Williams, aware of the fierce competition to knock her off the top, admits she has tried to analyze those defeats to find reasons why she has lost her way this year.
“It’s important to learn from every loss. I think I usually do that,” she said. — Agencies
