London: Former world no 1 Mats Wilander believes that Novak Djokovic will surpass Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles as he has "four or five years left in him as one of the favourites".
Djokovic seeks to equal Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles this fortnight in London, where he can displace Carlos Alcaraz as No. 1 in the ATP Rankings by lifting the trophy.
The 36-year-old Serb has been the undisputed ruler of SW19 since 2018, and with a victory over Pedro Cachin of Argentina in their first-round meeting on Monday, he extended his impressive record over the last five Wimbledon.
"I wouldn't be surprised if Djokovic ends up with nine or 10. So, Roger better hold this record of eight close to his heart for now," Wilander was quoted as saying by Eurosport.
"If it’s not this year then it's next year, and if it’s not next year then it's the year after. I think Novak has another four or five years left in him here as one of the favourites at Wimbledon," he added. The Serb, who won his maiden grass major in 2011, has not lost on Centre Court in 10 years after losing to Andy Murray in the 2013 final. Since then, the Serbian has lifted the trophy on six occasions and has only suffered two defeats, both on Court 1 of the tournament.
Djokovic, who has now won 22 matches in a row at majors dating back to Wimbledon last year, became the first man to win 23 Grand Slam titles by triumphing at Roland Garros in May.
If the Serbian can claim a fifth consecutive title at the All England Club this fortnight, he will increase his chances of winning the first Calendar Slam (all four majors in the same year) since Rod Laver did it in 1969.
While Wilander backs Djokovic to break Federer's record of Wimbledon titles, he doesn't think that Serb will surpass Jimmy Connors' record of 109 singles titles as Djokovic currently has 94. "Djokovic is hot on the heels on everybody’s records, but I don’t think he will reach Jimmy Connors’ record of most titles won. That will be tough for Novak to break," he said.—IANS
