“To play against Novak Djokovic, you have to be like 120%, 150% all the time”- Roman Safiullin

Roman Safiullin recently shared insights on the challenges he faced when playing against Novak Djokovic, emphasizing the Serbian player's mental strength and relentless gameplay.

Safiullin's Wimbledon campaign ended with a four-set quarter final defeat at the hands of Jannik Sinner. The Italian won 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to seal his place in the semis.

Safiullin took part in a post-match press conference, where he reflected on his performance and complimented Sinner. He said:

"I would say in the third set and the fourth set, especially also in the first set, I made one mistake which cost me the set. The third and fourth set was the same situation.

I was playing, like, good on my serve. In some moment, I just lost the concentration, and then Jannik put his, like, 100%, and he broke me"

However, the most interesting takeaway from the press conference was Safiullin's opinion on facing Novak Djokovic. The Russian player, currently ranked 43rd globally, provided a unique perspective on what makes the Serbian World No.1 a formidable opponent. He said:

"I think mentally. This is the one word I can describe. He's mentally like on a different level... To play against him, you have to be like 120%, 150% all the time. If you need to play five sets, you have to be on this one. If you drop 5%, then he takes you."

Novak Djokovic eyeing 24th grand slam

Novak Djokovic proceeds to the semifinals at Wimbledon 2023

In a riveting display, Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic has advanced to the semi-finals of Wimbledon 2023, overcoming Russian talent Andrey Rublev.

The opening match saw Rublev taking the lead with a 6-4 win, but Djokovic demonstrated his resilience, clinching the subsequent sets 6-1, 6-4, and 6-3 on the Centre Court.

Defending champion Djokovic is now in line for his twelfth Wimbledon semi-final . The Serbian also joined the ranks of Roger Federer and Serena Williams as the only tennis players to have played in 400 Grand Slam matches.

Federer, now retired, ended his career with a record of 429 Grand Slam appearances, while Serena Williams played in 423.

The expectation is high for Djokovic to retain his Wimbledon crown, having been the victor for four consecutive years, from 2018 to 2022. Winning again would put him on equal footing with Federer, who holds the Open Era record of eight Wimbledon championships.

In addition to being his 12th semi-final at Wimbledon, this is Djokovic's 46th overall Grand Slam semi-final appearance. This ties him with Federer for the record of the most semi-final appearances at majors among male players.

Djokovic faces the young Italian star Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals. Should he be victorious at Wimbledon, he would equal Margaret Court's record of 24 majors.