Roger Federer had a front row seat to watch Novak Djokovic come back in his Round of 16 Wimbledon match vs. Alex de Minaur on Monday afternoon. Djokovic advances to his 16th Wimbledon quarterfinals with the win.

Djokovic dropped the first set in a shocking manner, losing 6-1 to the No. 11 men's player in the world. This was something Djokovic was used to doing in front of Federer, the all-time winningest men's player in Wimbledon history. Djokovic, who has won seven Wimbledon titles himself, claims he's lost quite a few matches in London with Federer in attendance.

However, Monday ended that losing streak for Djokovic as he came back to win the final three sets 6-4 to win the match. After the match, Djokovic made a joke about his unlucky streak ending with Federer in the audience.

"It's probably the first time he's watching me and I won the match," Djokovic said, sparking some laughter from the Centre Court crowd. "The last couple I lost, so good to break the curse."

Djokovic went on to express his admiration for Federer, who retired from tennis in 2022. Federer likes to come back to All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club each year to cheer on his former tennis opponents.

The Serbian has the upper hand vs. Federer in their all-time head-to-head record. Djokovic won 27 times, while Federer won 23. They faced each other in three Wimbledon finals, with Djokovic winning all three titles. So, it's like karma for Djokovic to then lose whenever Federer watches him play on Centre Court.

Djokovic is aiming to make tennis history at this year's Wimbledon. If he wins the title, he would take sole possession of the most major titles won by a tennis player in history with 25. He has the record in the Open Era, but is tied all-time with Margaret Court at 24 major titles. Federer used to hold the Open Era record with 20 before both Rafael Nadal and Djokovic passed him.

More Wimbledon on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Novak Djokovic Jokes About Roger Federer Finally Seeing Him Win a Wimbledon Match.

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