Wimbledon 2021: Novak Djokovic's projected path to the final

Novak Djokovic with the Wimbledon 2019 trophy
Novak Djokovic with the Wimbledon 2019 trophy

Word No. 1 Novak Djokovic heads into Wimbledon as the overwhelming favorite to claim the title. Fresh off his second Roland Garros crown, which made him the first man in the Open Era to win every Major twice, the Serb is on the cusp of history once again.

The two-time defending champion would equal Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's record of 20 Grand Slam titles if he lifts the trophy in London.

The Serb has been handed a relatively straightforward draw this year. Here's a look at Djokovic's path to a potential sixth Wimbledon crown:

Novak Djokovic's 1st round opponent - Jack Draper

Djokovic will face 19-year-old Brit Jack Draper in the first round. Draper, the 2018 junior Wimbledon runner-up, is one of Britain's brightest young talents.

Draper will be high on confidence after beating the likes of Jannik Sinner and Alexander Bublik en route to the quarterfinals at Queen's. However, he is unlikely to pose too much of a threat to Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic's likely 2nd round opponent - Kevin Anderson / Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera

Djokovic beat Anderson in the 2018 final
Djokovic beat Anderson in the 2018 final

If Djokovic defeats Draper, he could face big-serving Kevin Anderson in the second round in a repeat of the 2018 Wimbledon final. Anderson opens his campaign against qualifier Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera.

Injuries have plagued the South African in the last couple of years and he has fallen to 103 in the rankings,

Djokovic has won nine of their 11 meetings on tour, including three at Wimbledon.

Novak Djokovic's likely 3rd round opponent - Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

30th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is Djokovic's most likely opponent in the third round. The Spaniard reached his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros earlier this month and will hope to carry that momentum into Wimbledon.

However, questions remain over his fitness after he was forced to retire from his last-16 match against Vasek Pospisil at the Eastbourne International. Davidovich Fokina takes on qualifier Dennis Kudla in the first round and will face either Andreas Seppi or Joao Sousa in the second.

Novak Djokovic's likely 4th round opponent - Cristian Garin / Gael Monfils /

According to the seedings, Djokovic is projected to face Gael Monfils in the fourth round. Considering Monfils' woeful form, it is unlikely the Frenchman will advance this far.

Cristian Garin is also in this section of the draw, but the Chilean is a claycourt specialist and has never been beyond the first round at Wimbledon. So it would not be surprising to see one of Marc Polmans, Stefano Travaglia or Pedro Martinez advance to the last-16 to potentially play Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic's likely quarterfinal opponent - Andrey Rublev / Jannik Sinner / Diego Schwartzman

Andrey Rublev
Andrey Rublev

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev comes into Wimbledon high on confidence after his runners-up finish at Halle last week. The Russian surprisingly fell in the first round against Jan-Lennard Struff at Roland Garros, and will be hoping for a much improved showing at SW19.

Rublev will likely face Fabio Fognini in the third round, and then possibly Jannik Sinner or Diego Schwartzman in the fourth. While Schwartzman is ranked higher than Sinner and has more experience, the Italian's game is much more suited to this surface.

Djokovic has never lost to Rublev, Sinner or Schwartzman and will be the overwhelming favorite to advance to the last four.

Novak Djokovic's likely semifinal opponent - Stefanos Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas

Djokovic could potentially face his sternest test in the semifinals against third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a repeat of the Roland Garros final.

The Greek, however, has to navigatea few tricky matches, including a possible quarterfinal against Roberto Bautista Agut. He should, however, be able to come through considering his incredible form this year.

Djokovic leads the head-to-head against Tsitsipas 6-2, but the two have never met on grass.

Novak Djokovic's likely opponent in the final - Alexander Zverev / Daniil Medvedev / Matteo Berrettini / Roger Federer

Djokovic could come up against fourth seed Alexander Zverev, World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, Queen's champion Matteo Berrettini or eight-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer in the final.

Zverev will be buoyed by his semifinal finish at the French Open, while Berrettini is coming off a run to the title in Queen's. Medvedev has never done too well on grass, but since the last edition of Wimbledon in 2019, he has picked up two wins over Djokovic.

But it could be Roger Federer who poses the toughest challenge for Djokovic.

Roger Federer at Wimbledon 2019
Roger Federer at Wimbledon 2019

The Swiss is battling for form and fitness, but if he settles down and finds his best tennis, he should be able to make it out of the bottom half of the draw and earn the right to avenge his 2019 loss to Djokovic.


Prediction: The Serb may suffer a slight letdown after his heroics in Paris but there are not too many players who can trouble the World No. 1 early on. Once he settles down, he will be a hard man to stop. Given his incredible form and relatively straightforward path, it is hard to bet against Djokovic winning his sixth Wimbledon title.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram
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