Playing against Flavio Cobolli proved to be a frustrating experience for Novak Djokovic at the Wimbledon quarter-final. The Serb wanted to capitalize on the opportunity he had to break his competitor’s momentum, but when Djokovic hit a cross-court backhand wide, he realized his error… ‘The Joker’ had bounced back from a 7-6(6) defeat in the opening set, bombarding Cobolli 6-2 and then 7-5, and an early break would put him in pole position—but it was a wasted opportunity.

So, as the Serbian walked to the side of the court, his frustration was at its peak. He was seen hitting his shoe with his racket twice before he set it aside. “Djokovic rather loses his composure,” BBC commentator Andrew Cotter stated, while Tim Henman mentioned, “It kind of sums up his frame of mind but it is surprising you’ve just won the third set 7-5 to go up 2 sets to 1. Very unhappy. Don’t want to get that wrong either.” 

The tennis player then returned to the court, shushing the crowd and shaking his head, and proceeded to get ready for the fourth set. But why was the Serbian frustrated if he had taken two sets? Well, Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli told BBC 5 that it could have been because Djokovic felt like he was far from the finish line. “He hasn’t broken yet in that fourth set, he would have to break or get to a tie-break if he wants to win it,” she opined. Now that could have been true, but the tennis star also risked getting fined because of his actions.

Let us go back to 2023. Djokovic was in the middle of his Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz and that’s when his anger got the better of him. Alcaraz gave the veteran a tough time in a match that lasted almost five hours and, at one point, Djokovic smashed his racket against the net. The result? $8,000 in fine! It was the largest individual fine of the tournament. And so, letting his anger show in his match against Cobolli in a similar manner could have led to a fine as well.

In the end, the 38-year-old survived Cobolli and won  6-7 (8), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4. He hit 39 winners and 22 errors against Cobolli. With that, he successfully recorded a 14th Wimbledon semi-final, one ahead of Roger Federer. And up next, he will have to face Jannik Sinner, which, he admits, will be tougher physically. “For me, this is what actually counts the most. Being in the last stages of grand slams and playing against the best player in the world right now. And Jannik and Carlos Alcaraz are the leaders of men’s tennis today.”

The Serb is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, and American legend Andy Roddick recently predicted Djokovic’s chances to win the tournament.

Can Novak Djokovic win Wimbledon? Andy Roddick has the answer!

Over the past few years, Djokovic has had an excellent record on grass. He won back-to-back titles here in 2021 and 2022 and made it to the finals in 2023 and 2024. With a strong record on grass in recent years, Djokovic is certainly among the favorites to win Wimbledon. That’s what Andy Roddick believes!

He said earlier this week, “Novak is just Novak. He is in this tournament to win it. I can’t be told that he is not going to be in the last four. Everything he does well at this point in his career works on grass. Novak hits the ball as well as he has ever hit it, serves as well as he has ever hit it… It changes when you get Sinner or [Carlos] Alcaraz on the other side, but I still like him in this tournament. I said it during the French Open that I still think he can win this tournament. Will he? We will see. But everything that this version of Novak… translates better to grass right now.”

Till now, Roddick has gotten his prediction on point, with Djokovic making it to the semifinals. It remains to be seen if the Serb can capture his 25th Grand Slam title here at Wimbledon. So don’t miss a moment—get minute-by-minute coverage of the Championships on EssentiallySports.