Novak Djokovic has secured his place in the second round of Wimbledon once again, retaining his record of having never exited in the opening match at the All-England Club.
Adding to that the seven titles and further three finals he has reached, and it’s hard not to see him as one of the greatest to have ever graced these grounds.
Now vying for a record-shattering 25th Grand Slam title, at 38 years of age, he continues to astound with his longevity and perseverance.
And, one thing noted in his post-match interview on Tuesday night caught Kim Clijsters’ attention.
Kim Clijsters reacts to Novak Djokovic’s Wimbledon interview
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, just after Novak Djokovic had conducted his on-court interview, Clijsters then sought to review what she had just heard from the legendary Serbian.
Outlining what she found particularly interesting, the 24-time Grand Slam champion stated: ‘Just listening to his interview was really interesting. I don’t feel like he worries at all, like maybe we did for a little bit.
‘It just shows the belief. The confidence that he has when he steps out on this court.
‘Like he said, he has earned the right to believe he can win this tournament, and he does. He knew he was the better player out there today, so he explained a little bit more about why he was feeling a little bit off and explained it was a stomach bug. But he’s definitely feeling a bit better.
’It’s really nice to see him smile, and sometimes it’s also good to get tested for a set early on in the tournament.
‘But he showed some good tennis. He was moving well, especially the way that he came out. Like he said, I am taking a lot of positives away from this match, and that’s the most important thing right now, is how you leave the court.’
Djokovic offered a fitness update during that interview, having not looked himself for large parts of the match despite winning with relative ease.
Novak Djokovic faces tricky test with Dan Evans match
Next up for Djokovic at Wimbledon is Dan Evans, with the wily veteran having enjoyed a strong past few weeks after arguably the toughest year of his tennis career.
It has not been smooth sailing for the 35-year-old, who cut a tearful figure in a recent press conference as he admitted to having considered retirement.
Keen to not let those around him down, by reaching this stage, he has already proven so many people wrong.
And now, he gets a free hit at one of the greatest of all time.
Evans does boast a unique advantage over Djokovic, as one of a handful of people in history to have a winning record against him, albeit just 1-0.
Regardless, the Brit will be hoping to use the home crowd to his advantage to take the game to his legendary opponent.
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