Djokovic hitting forehand

photo : martin sidorjak

The three-time defending champion, Novak Djokovic, is the overwhelming favorite to win his seventh Wimbledon championship. With a fourth round victory over Tim Van Rijthoven, he extended his win streak on Centre Court to 36 matches.

@djokernole

The 25-year-old from the Netherlands put up a good fight and received praise from Djokovic on his Instagram story, but no one has beaten Djokovic Centre since Andy Murray in the 2013 final.

Everyone has been watching Novak dispatch every opponent he faces; however, he’s been a little more friendly towards his training partner. His son Stefan Djokovic has been joining Dad on the practice courts.

@wimbledon

Stefan was born shortly after Novak’s 2nd Wimbledon title in 2014 and is now 7 years old. He got a lot of attention when Wimbledon posted a picture on Instagram comparing his forehand to his father’s. They noted that there were a lot of similarities in the technique and facial expressions.

@wimbledon and @djokernole

Novak was tagged in the post and responded on his personal Twitter account. He tagged his wife Jelena, delighted by the comparison.

Perhaps his son is his good luck charm at the All England Club. As mentioned, Novak has not lost a match on Centre Court since 2013. That streak began while Jelena Djokovic was pregnant during his title run in 2014 and has lasted all of Stefan’s life. Novak also has a 4-year-old daughter Tara and has won a record 14 major titles as a father.

While one streak continues, another one came to an end. The 37-match win streak of Iga Swiatek was snapped in the third round by Alize Cornet. The world No. 1 walked off the court and waved goodbye to the crowd, the grass, and the streak that captivated the tennis world for four and a half months.

The longest female win streak of the 21st century will go down as one of the greatest accomplishments in women’s tennis. Following the loss, Iga posted a thankful and optimistic message for her fans.

@iga.swiatek

Iga it’s safe to say everyone has thoroughly enjoyed the spectacular tennis you’ve shown and absolutely will continue to watch where your career takes you, with or without streaks and records.

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