"Novak Djokovic can be beaten" - Alejandro Davidovich Fokina ahead of Olympics 3r match against the Serb

Novak Djokovic is bidding to become the first men's player to complete the Calendar Golden Slam i.e. winning all four Major titles as well as the Olympic gold medal in the same year. Djokovic triumphed at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon earlier this year, and is on a 20-match winning streak at the moment.

But Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who plays Djokovic in the third round, believes that the Serb is not invincible. While speaking to reporters on Monday, Davidovich Fokina pointed out that there is a huge amount of pressure on the Serb's shoulders right now, which could make him vulnerable.

"He (Novak Djokovic) can be beaten too," Davidovich Fokina said. "It is clear that he is chasing the gold medal and the US Open, after the three Grand Slams he has been in, and it will not be easy to handle that pressure."

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina spent some time practicing with Novak Djokovic at Marbella in 2020. The Spaniard spoke about his relationship with Djokovic during his presser on Monday, claiming that the two of them "like each other".

"Djokovic? Well, I like him. We like each other," Davidovich Fokina said. "We had seen each other on the circuit, but in his quarantine he came to his brother's house in Marbella and we have trained together a couple of times."

Davidovich Fokina recently made headlines by reaching his first Major quarterfinal at Roland Garros. In Tokyo, the Spaniard defeated Portugal's Paulo Souza 6-3, 6-0 in the first round before navigating a tricky three-set encounter against Australia's John Millman.

Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, has breezed past his first two opponents - Bolivia's Hugo Dellien and Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff - without dropping a set. The Serb is the overwhelming favorite to win the gold medal at the end of the week.

Let’s go Tokyo!! #Idemooo #TeamSerbia #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/zXtyrocaBH

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) July 24, 2021

Novak Djokovic begins 331st week as World No. 1 as history beckons

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is on the cusp of history at the Tokyo Olympics this year. A gold medal will not only take him one step closer to a Calendar Golden Slam, but also make him the first men's singles player to win three Grand Slam titles and the Olympic gold in the same year.

The 34-year-old has begun his 331st week at World No.1, which is another record. Irrespective of any heroics from the second-ranked Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic will keep his position at the top for a few weeks more.

The Serb overtook Roger Federer's total of 310 weeks in March to become the all-time leader in the men's game. While he is some distance away from Steffi Graf's record of 377 weeks, Djokovic is poised to overtake Martina Navratilova's total of 332 weeks and become second in the all-time leaderboard.