Novak Djokovic will take to Centre Court today looking to reach a 15th quarter-final when he faces Danish star Holger Rune.
Djokovic has been the subject of intense speculation this year given that he is only a month or so out from surgery on his knee.
The 37-year-old was touch and go for Wimbledon this time around and claimed that he would only enter if he felt he could win the tournament.
Now, he’s one win away from another quarter-final but will face an opponent who is at the other end of his career.
The 21-year-old reached the quarter-final last year at SW19 but lost in straight sets to Carlos Alcaraz – who eventually won the title.
Ahead of the match later today, Djokovic has shared what he’s noticed about Rune when he’s out on the practice court.
What Holger Rune does that Novak Djokovic finds impressive
It would appear as though there is a lot of mutual respect between Djokovic and Rune and the seven-time champion has been quizzed on his opponent.
Rune is still waiting to really make waves at a Grand Slam and he will face a tough ask against Djokovic today.
However, the Serbian is clearly a big fan of Rune’s and there’s something he does that he’s a huge fan of.
He said in his press conference: “He’s always had a very good work ethic. He’s been a very dedicated guy. Once he sees something is off, he’s going to go off to the practice court and work on it. That’s what I always loved about him. He’s a very all-around player.
“He can play really fast and well and aggressive.. both aggressive and defensive from both corners with the forehand and backhand. All surfaces. He’s probably lacking a bit more consistency with his results compared to Alcaraz and Sinner, who are his generation.
“But he looks to me like a player who’s ready for big things. It takes a little bit of time for him mentally to mature, gain experience, and understand how he needs to play in certain moments on the big stage.
“But he’s got quite a bit of experience already for a 21-year-old. He’s been working very hard. His serve is a big weapon now. Maybe it wasn’t so much in the past. Serve and forehand, his backhand is as solid as anybody’s and with the return as well.”
Rune and Djokovic should have a fierce Wimbledon battle
The Dane’s record against Djokovic should at least give him some hope for optimism today at Wimbledon.
Although he’s lost three of the five meetings they’ve had, Rune has never lost to Djokovic in straight sets.
The pair have only met once in a five-set clash and that came back in 2021 when the pair met at the US Open, with Djokovic winning in four sets.
Rune’s two wins came on hard and clay with the two players never meeting on grass previously.
Clearly, Djokovic is expecting a tough match today and as the tournament enters a second week, it will be interesting to see how the knee is later today.
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