When the draw for Wimbledon 2025 was unveiled, Novak Djokovic's supporters feared for their favorite player, as he was handed a tough draw. In comparison, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the top two players in the world, had easier paths to the title.
Djokovic, who has a record 24 Grand Slams, began his campaign against Alexandre Muller in the first round and won the match in four sets.
The 38-year-old Serb then defeated Dan Evans of Great Britain in straight sets to move into the third round and thus remain in contention for his eighth Wimbledon title. However, several upsets in a few other matches have made his path to the title easier.
A couple of prospective opponents of Djokovic have been shown the door
Djokovic was drawn to face 30th seed Alex Michelsen of the United States in the third round. However, Miomir Kecmanovic, Djokovic's compatriot, beat Michelsen in the second round to eliminate him from the 38-year-old Serb's path.
Djokovic will now face Kecmanovic in the third round on Saturday, July 5. Djokovic has a 3-0 advantage in the head-to-head against Kecmanovic and will fancy his chances of making it 4-0 on Saturday.
However, the biggest relief the Serb must have had was with the exit of fourth-seed Jack Draper of Great Britain on Thursday. Marin Cilic of Croatia, a former Wimbledon finalist himself, beat Draper in four sets in the second round.
Djokovic was drawn to face Draper in the quarterfinals, which was one of the most anticipated matches in the tournament. With Draper's exit, Djokovic's path has certainly become easier.
The Serb still has a potential banana skin left
Djokovic will face 11th seed Alex de Minaur of Australia in the round of 16, should both of them win their respective third-round matches. De Minaur is a solid player on all surfaces and is likely to cause some trouble to the Serb. Djokovic leads their head-to-head 2-1 at the moment.
The Serb might face the 36-year-old Cilic in the quarterfinals, but that will be an easier challenge than taking on Draper. Djokovic is drawn to face Sinner in a high-voltage semifinal, which should be tough. However, his path to the last four, at least, has become much easier with the upsets in the second round. It now remains to be seen whether the legendary Serb is able to take advantage of that and go deep in the tournament.
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