"Favours the smartest players ahead of the finest physical specimens": Novak Djokovic not ruled out of Wimbledon contention by Boris Becker

Saturday, 04 July 2026 at 16:30

Novak Djokovic isn't out of contention of winning Wimbledon in the view of Boris Becker, the legendary German and former coach of the legendary Serbian.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion punched his ticket into the fourth round at Wimbledon on Friday after a hard-fought contest against Arthur Rinderknech. The former World No.1 raced int a two-set lead before Rinderknech came back against him.

The 39-year-old now faces Roman Safiullin in the fourth round as he bids to win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam and join his rival on Roger Federer on eight Wimbledon titles.

A semi-final against Jannik Sinner could await, but Becker overall sees Djokovic still having all the capabilities to win again at SW19. "I wouldn’t rule it out [Djokovic winning this year]. Even if he has lost half a step since his peak years as an athlete, this tournament is all about the mind," said Becker in The Telegraph.

"Grass-court tennis tests your mental strength and your temperament like no other surface. On clay, if you miss a break point, you don’t need to worry too much: there will be another one along in a minute. But on grass, you might only get one chance per set.

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"This sorts the men from the boys. And Novak isn’t just a grown up; he is the elder statesman of the game.

"At 39, he will not be the fastest or the strongest player in the draw anymore. But Wimbledon favours the smartest players ahead of the finest physical specimens."

Olympic Games retirement?

Like Djokovic, Becker has mooted that he will carry on until the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles but he sees that having to grind on the regular tour still as her issue.

"As for how long he will carry on, my money is on the 2028 Olympics in LA," Becker added.

"The only problem is that the regular tour has come to bore him. If you’ve won 24 majors, what’s your motivation for fitting in another Miami Open?

"As a result, he is sometimes in danger of not playing enough. Four matches between Melbourne and Paris this year was on the light side, even for such a great champion.

"The danger is that, because Novak has so many other interests, sometimes they take him away a little bit from tennis. He will really need to discipline himself to make it to LA ’28 ‘But I’m hoping – for the sport’s sake – that he gets there."

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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