Novak Djokovic congratulates Natalija Stevanovic on her maiden entry to the 3R of Wimbledon

Tennis great Novak Djokovic recently congratulated compatriot Natalija Stevanovic after she advanced to the third round of Wimbledon, her career-high Grand Slam performance as of now.

Djokovic has always been supportive of athletes from his own country. In the past, the World No. 2 was quick enough to congratulate Serbia's men's Basketball team and women's Volleyball team, among others. He continued that tradition by applauding Stevanovic in her Wimbledon debut.

The 28-year-old failed to earn a main draw qualification to Wimbledon in 2021 and 2022 after she lost in the qualifiers. However, this year, the Serbian showed enough grit and determination to make her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon, one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world.

In the first round of the tournament, Stevanović raised quite a few eyebrows after she knocked out the 18th seed, Karolina Pliskova, from the Major. Up against Tamara Korpatsch in the second round, the Serbian held onto her nerves as she earned a hard-fought victory over the German.

Djokovic reacted to a social media post that highlighted the health issues she had to overcome to make her Grand Slam debut in 2023. At the age of 21, Stevanovic was diagnosed with a life-threatening cyst in her liver.

"Bravo," Djokovic captioned his Instagram story, along with a 'clapping' emoji, the Serbian flag, 'grass' emoji, and 'tennis ball emoji.'

Novak Djokovic's Instagram story

Natalija Stevanović will probably face the toughest test of the tournament as she will lock horns with two-time Grand Slam winner Petra Kvitova in the third round of Wimbledon.

---

"I never want to stop growing, learning, trying to improve, trying to understand the nuances, the details, whether it's with my game, whether it's with my body" - Novak Djokovic

Previews: The Championships - Wimbledon 2023

Novak Djokovic will lock horns with Stan Wawrinka in the third round of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. The duo have faced each other 26 times on the tour, with the Serb comfortably leading the head-to-head 20-6.

At a press conference, the Serbian spoke about how he never wishes to stop growing, trying to improve and learn. He further added that he wants to understand everything about his life, from his body, nutrition to his game, etc.

"I never want to stop growing, learning, trying to improve, trying to understand the nuances, the details, whether it's with my game, whether it's with my body, whether it's with my nutrition, whatever it is, recovery, that can take me a small step further," the Serb said.

On the tennis side of things, the seven-time Wimbledon champion will reclaim the top spot if he successfully defends his SW19 title. He would replace current World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, once again in the top spot.