"He won’t want Nadal to go three Grand Slams ahead of him after defeat in France and the debacle in Australia" - Pam Shriver on Novak Djokovic ahead of Wimbledon 2022

Novak Djokovic arrives at Wimbledon as a three-time defending champion. He defeated Matteo Berrettini in four sets in last year's final to clinch his sixth title at the Championships. Seeded No. 1, the Serbian will be eager to win his 21st Grand Slam title in the next fortnight.

Djokovic has had an underwhelming 2022 season so far. He wasn't allowed to compete at the Australian Open and his title defense at the French Open came to an end against Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. A triumph at the Italian Open remains his only title this year.

21-time doubles Grand Slam champion Pam Shriver, speaking to PICKSWISE, said the Serb will be gunning to win his first Major of the year.

“He has the hunger and desire to do well. He won’t want [Rafael] Nadal to go three Grand Slams ahead of him after defeat in France and the debacle in Australia earlier this year,” Shriver said.

Djokovic is a six-time Wimbledon champion, having won the titles in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2021. The 59-year-old said that Djokovic is a fantastic player on grass courts and backed him to defend his Wimbledon title this year.

“He is my favorite to win. His grass-court game is superb, he’s won the last two Wimbledons played, and I feel like the French Open getting back to the five-set format, I think he’ll be much more ready for this compared to Paris. Playing grass for him is a different ball game compared to clay,” Shriver said.

“I think he’ll find a way to win, he’s my number one pick. His movement on grass is unbelievable, he’s learned how to be a bigger server on grass, and he’s still the best returner in the game,” she added.

Since losing to Nadal at Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic has not been in action until this week, when he participated in the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic, an exhibition event held at the Hurlingham Club in London. The 20-time Grand Slam champion opted to take a break to recover mentally and physically before Wimbledon.

Former World No. 3 Shriver could understand his decision to stay away from the action to recharge ahead of the grasscourt Major.

“I wish he played a pre-tournament warm-up, but I have a feeling that after all the clay-court tournaments he played in the spring, he must have felt like he was running on empty after the quarter-final defeat in the French Open,” Shriver said.

---

Novak Djokovic is targeting his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title

Novak Djokovic poses with the 2021 Wimbledon trophy.

Novak Djokovic will be aiming for his fourth straight Wimbledon title this year. He won the prestigious Grand Slam in 2018, 2019 and 2021, while the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 edition.

His win-loss record at the grasscourt Grand Slam is 79-10. He is currently on a 21-match unbeaten run at The Championships and a win in the first round this year will be his 80th match win at Wimbledon.

If Djokovic successfully defends his title, he will equal Pete Sampras' tally of seven SW19 trophies, with Roger Federer (eight titles) the only one ahead of him.