Novak Djokovic will not want to see Roger Federer in his half of the draw at Wimbledon this year according to his coach, Goran Ivanisevic. The world No 1 could face the Swiss legend in the quarterfinals if they are in the same half of the draw.
Federer holds a men’s record eight Wimbledon titles whilst Djokovic has won five championships at the All England Club – beating the Swiss in three finals.
The pair were drawn to face each other in the quarterfinals of the French Open and both were on course for the last eight clash after impressive early-round wins.
But the Swiss withdrew from Roland Garros after a gruelling third-round match against Dominik Koepfer.
And former Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic believes that the decision could be of huge benefit.
“I think Roger made a smart move in Paris,” he told Tennis Majors.
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He added: “We were in Belgrade when the draw for Roland Garros came out, and he was not particularly happy seeing Rafa and Roger in his half of the draw.
“Honestly, I preferred it that way. Rafa has never lost a final in Paris, the approach and mentality for a final are always very specific, and Rafa has 13 titles in Paris.
“It is a similar mentality to the one Djokovic has at the Australian Open.”
Djokovic heads to Wimbledon in two week’s time as the defending champion having beaten Federer in a thrilling final two years ago when he saved two championship points.
The Serb is gunning for an unprecedented ‘golden slam’ this year which could see him add Wimbledon, the US Open and Olympic gold to the Australian Open and French Open titles he has already won in 2021.
Having won 19 Grand Slam titles so far in his glittering career, he could also surpass the current record of 20 held by Federer and Nadal by the end of the year.
Wimbledon begins on 28 June and lasts for two weeks.
The grass-court Grand Slam returns after being cancelled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.