5 milestones Novak Djokovic could achieve at Wimbledon 2023
Novak Djokovic is the second seed at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, which gets underway on Monday.
The World No. 2 made a rousing start to the season, winning his first 12 matches. That run included a record-extending 10th title at the Australian Open as Djokovic drew level with Rafael Nadal (22) atop the all-time men's singles Grand Slam leaderboard.
After missing the North American hardcourt swing due to his COVID-19 vaccination stance, Djokovic had a truncated claycourt swing due to injury. Nevertheless, he reached the Rome Masters quarterfinals and created more history at Roland Garros.
With his third triumph at the claycourt Major, the super Serb became the first male player to achieve the coveted triple career Grand Slam and became the first to win 23 titles. He will now look to create more history at the third Grand Slam of the year at Wimbledon on Monday.
On that note, here are the top five milestones awaiting the former World No. 1 at SW19 next fortnight:
#1 Novak Djokovic could have the joint-most Wimbledon titles
Novak Djokovic won his seventh title at Wimbledon last year, beating first-time Grand Slam finalist Nick Kyrgios in a four-set final.
With the triumph, the Serb reigned supreme at SW19 for the seventh time, going level with American legends Bill Renshaw (Amateur Era) and Pete Sampras. If he goes all the way at the grasscourt Major next fortnight, Djokovic will draw level with all-time leader Roger Federer, who won his eighth Wimbledon title six years ago (in 2017).
The Serb holds an impressive 86-10 record at the event and opens his campaign for a record-equalling eighth title against Argentina's Pedro Cachin on Monday.
#2 Joint-most consecutive Wimbledon titles
The 36-year-old has a formidable grasscourt resume despite playing a truncated schedule with no tune-up appearance before Wimbledon.
That's amply evident in his impressive record at the grasscourt Major, where he has lost only 10 of his 96 matches. To gauge Djokovic's dominance at Wimbledon, have a look at this piece of stat: The Serb hasn't lost at the grasscourt Major since losing to Tomas Berdych in the 2017 quarterfinals.
That means he has won his last 28 matches across four editions and is now on the cusp of a five-peat, which will land him in elite company.
Only Bjorn Borg (1976-80) and Roger Federer (2003-07) in the Open Era have won five straight titles at the grasscourt Major. Could Djokovic be the third? We'll find out in a fortnight.
#3 Outright third-most singles titles in Open Era
With his third title at Roland Garros this year and his third of the season, Novak Djokovic triumphed for the 94th time on the ATP Tour.
That tally includes the records of 23 Grand Slam wins (sole), 38 ATP Masters 1000 (sole), and six ATP Finals (joint-top). The Serb has won the same number of singles titles as Ivan Lendl.
If he triumphs at Wimbledon next fortnight, he will move clear of Lendl and into outright third in the all-time men's singles title leaderboard. American Jimmy Connors (109) leads the pack and is followed by retired Swiss legend Roger Federer (103).
Since winning his first title at Amersfoort (Netherlands) in 2006, Djokovic has won multiple titles in 18 consecutive seasons, which is an Open Era record.
#4 Most Grand Slam singles titles in Open Era
Novak Djokovic created history with his third triumph at Roland Garros this year. He became the first man to win 23 Grand Slams and the first to win the coveted triple career Grand Slam - achieved by only two other players. Djokovic also moved level with Serena Williams for the most Major singles titles in the Open Era.
The retired American legend won her 23rd and latest Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open in 2017. Djokovic has now joined Williams as the most successful singles player in the Open Era.
A win at Wimbledon next fortnight will take him past Williams and on to sole lead in the all-time Open Era Grand Slam singles leaderboard - male or female. To provide a context of that achievement, only a handful of players have won at least 20 Grand Slam singles titles.
That group includes Djokovic's Big 3 peers - Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (22). The other members are Steffi Graf (22) and, of course, Williams (23).
#5 Joint-most Grand Slam singles titles
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams are only behind all-time leader Margaret Court in the all-time Grand Slam singles leaderboard - male or female.
An eighth title at Wimbledon in two weeks' time will take the Serb level with Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles won by any player in tennis history - encompassing the Amateur and Open Eras.
It's scary to think that at 36, Djokovic is far from finished and is creating records galore.