Novak Djokovic was "happy but not the freshest" after his opening round win at Wimbledon and the great Serb faces another tough examination against two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in round two.
Djokovic is pursuing the dream of equalling Roger Federer's tally of eight wins at the All-England Club as well as the opportunity to go past Margaret Court's all-time list of Grand Slam titles with a 25th success.
He fended off Tsitsipas in the 2021 French Open final and the 2023 Australian Open decider and now meets the Greek for the first time since a Paris Olympics last-eight tie in 2024.
The former world number three parted company with his father Apostolos as coach on the eve of Wimbledon, turning to Thomas Perrin and overseer Patrick Mouratoglou instead.
Having slid to 87th in the world rankings, the 27-year-old admits that having his father as coach was no longer "the solution for me to take the next steps" as he attempts to arrest the decline.
Stefanos Tsitsipas v Novak Djokovic Tips Summary
Best Bet – Novak Djokovic to win 3-1 @ 11/5
Alternative Bet – 1st Set Total Games Over 10.5 @ 9/4
Bet Builder – Over 0.5 Tie Breaks, Exactly 4 Sets, 3+ Aces for Stefanos Tsitsipas & Novak Djokovic Under 4.5 Breaks of Serve @ 9/2
Stefanos Tsitsipas v Novak Djokovic Prediction
Best Bet – Novak Djokovic to win 3-1 @ 11/5
"It didn't feel like the first round to be honest," was Djokovic's assessment after a four-set first round win over China's Wu Yibing in his Wimbledon hors d'oeuvre.
Now 39 years young and perhaps on the final lap of his stellar career, Djokovic's desire to win a 25th Grand Slam remains as strong as ever, but the mountain in front of him is getting no lower.
He reached the final in Melbourne earlier this year, besting Jannik Sinner in a wonderful last-four scrap and taking the opening set in the decider before Carlos Alcaraz's youthful exuberance ended Djokovic's 10-0 record in Australian Open finals.
His French Open run ended in the third round, defeated by Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca, and so Djokovic's last six Grand Slam matches have all gone to at least four sets.
Tsitsipas has twice lost major finals to the Serb, in Paris in 2021 and Melbourne two years later, but the Greek has dipped from a career-high third in the world to 87th now and he split with his father and coach on the eve of this tournament.
He turned up at SW19 with a 16-14 record in 2026 but did dispose of Hugo Gaston, ranked 118th in the world, in straight sets in Monday's opener.
Tsitsipas served well, with 64 per cent on first serves and no double faults, while his unforced error count came to only 12. He showed a willingness to come to the net and will need to do similar here as Djokovic will wear him down at the baseline.
His career record against the Serb is 2-12 and, on current form, that trend should stand up, though the Greek can put a set on the board.
Alternative Bet – 1st Set Total Games Over 10.5 @ 9/4
Djokovic's opening match against Wu saw just one first-set break point for the Serb, which he took in the opening game, and it was enough to establish his advantage.
Wu got two looks in the tenth game, but Djokovic held first to serve out the set.
Tsitsipas took two of the eight break points he forced in the opening set against Gaston and conceded just a single point on his own serve. He won't get things quite so easy now, but the Greek can hang tough in the first set and it could go close to the distance.
Stefanos Tsitsipas v Novak Djokovic Bet Builder Tip
Over 0.5 Tie Breaks
Exactly 4 Sets
3+ Aces for Stefanos Tsitsipas
Novak Djokovic Under 4.5 Breaks of Serve
Pays @ 9/2
It has been a tough year for Tsitsipas, but his new coaching arrangement may bring relief. He took care of his first-round match nicely and has served well against Djokovic before, with 15 aces despite losing the 2023 Australian final in straight sets.
Djokovic was efficient if not spectacular in his opener. He came through in four sets and had just three service breaks against Wu as they hammered down 15 aces each in a pulsating affair.
Breaks of serve may be at a premium again now, with at least one tie-break forecast in a four-set Wimbledon showdown.
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Key Match Stats
Djokovic leads the career head-to-head 12-2 against Tsitsipas
The Serb has won all three Grand Slam meetings, including finals at the French Open (2021) and Australian Open (2023)
This is a first grass court meeting between seven-time Wimbledon winner Djokovic and Tsitsipas, who has passed round two just three times in eight SW19 starts
Tsitsipas made 12 unforced errors in round one, compared to 26 from Djokovic
The Greek won 23/27 points at the net in his opener, while Djokovic was 11/17 in round one
Tsitsipas is ranked 87th in the world, with Djokovic at number eight
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
