“The longer the streak goes, the more resilient I am” – Novak Djokovic extends tiebreak record
Novak Djokovic extends his incredible tiebreak record in 2023 against Jannik Sinner, saying that every win gives him an added mental edge
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The closest Jannik Sinner came to defeating Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon 2023 semi-finals was forcing a third set tiebreak against the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Except, despite going to a third set tiebreak, the reality is Sinner was never that close.
That’s because with the third set win, Djokovic extended his streak of consecutive tiebreaks won to 13 in a row.
Djokovic extends tiebreak record with Sinner win
The record of Novak Djokovic in 2023 is quite remarkable when it comes to his performance under pressure.
Tiebreaks are inherently supposed to be 50/50. They only occur when players have contested 12 games, and are unable to be separated. For all intents and purposes, the players are dead equal.
And yet when it comes time for a tiebreak, the real Novak Djokovic stands up and delivers.
The result? 13 consecutive tiebreaks won in 2023, dating back to a limp quarter-final performance in Banja Luka in mid-April, when the Serbian dropped one in his loss to Dusan Lajovic.
At Grand Slams, Djokovic is even better. He’s won 15 in a row, with his last loss coming in the second round of the Australian Open against Enzo Couacaud.
Overall, Djokovic holds an 18-3 tiebreak record in 2023, with wins against the likes of Jannik Sinner, Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz and Stan Wawrinka.
“I feel more comfortable than my opponent” – Djokovic on his tiebreak momentum
When queried about the streak following his win over Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic was quick to acknowledge the impact of his record.
“Yeah, I am aware of the tiebreak streak. I think the longer the streak goes, I guess mentally the more resilient or tougher I am in these particular situations,” said Djokovic.
“Coming into every tiebreak now, I feel I think more comfortable than my opponent just because of the record. I think that my opponents also know about that record. That mentally makes a difference.”
The Serbian continued, explaining how his momentum in tiebreaks gave him an edge in his semi-final against Sinner:
“I was down 3-1 in the tiebreak. He really gifted me the point with the double-fault, and I was back in the tiebreak. It could have been 4-1 for him. Who knows what kind of direction the tiebreak would go into.”
Tiebreaks particularly stressful on grass, says Djokovic
The 23-time Grand Slam champion also shed some light grass court tiebreaks, stating that the surface leads to even more pressure situations:
“Tiebreak is such in a way a gamble because one or two points can really decide the whole course of a tiebreak on grass. If you make one double-fault or if you miss a first serve, the opponent plays a great return, and you hold your serve till the end of the tiebreak, that can be enough.
“That’s why going into tiebreaks in grass, probably even more stressful than any other surface because you know that you won’t maybe get as many chances to be in the rally.”
If the final of Wimbledon 2023 is anything like the previous meeting between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, there’s every chance we’ll see Djokovic going for a 14th straight tiebreak win on Sunday.
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