Novak Djokovic is in pursuit of history at Wimbledon this year, as he bids to become the first player in tennis history to tally a 25th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic has come close to achieving the feat this year, having made the semi-finals at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros, but hasn’t managed to get over the line.
Following the Wimbledon draw, the former world number one has been granted a favourable route to the final in South West London and can avoid defending champion Carlos Alcaraz until the final day.
With Djokovic hinting at retirement recently, his window to clinch number 25 is closing, and former US Open champion Andy Roddick thinks his upcoming run at the All England Club this year may mark his last best shot.
Photo by Ray Tang/Anadolu via Getty ImagesAndy Roddick predicts Novak Djokovic’s Wimbledon placement
Speaking on the Served podcast, Roddick said: “I think this is Novak’s last best chance at a major. I don’t know when the end is coming, but I think his best chance is on grass.
“His game as it stands currently, not Novak from five years ago, as it stands currently, it has the most benefit for surface on grass now, and he knows what to do with it.
“He’s going to get through the first couple of rounds. Michelsen serves well but Novak’s going to get deep in his service games.
“[Against] De Minaur, he’s going to be able to distribute and hit through the court. Draper, he can actually return the lefty serve; that’s not going to bother him.
“And actually I’m going to take it one further. I have Novak in the final. I have Novak in the finals of Wimbledon. I said what I said.”
Andy Roddick gives his prediction for the Wimbledon final
Choosing his winner at the championships, Roddick said: “I have Alcaraz over a guy named Novak Djokovic [in the final].
“Shall we just give some context, so we don’t take people for granted in real time?
“If Alcaraz wins this, he has won as many Wimbledons as [Boris] Becker.
“Some other context, for six majors and three Wimbledons, he’d be tied with Edberg and Becker with six, like these are all-time iconic names.
“You don’t just get given titles, but, three Wimbledons, you match Becker there, you match his total Slam count, and you’re 22, and Becker is a monster of this game. He is an icon of this game.
“This is what we are watching. This is what we are dealing with right now. Pretty fun.”
A championship match between Alcaraz and Djokovic would mark the first time the same final had occurred three years in a row at Wimbledon since Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer‘s trilogy from 2006 to 2008.