Novak Djokovic faced some issues against Alexei Popyrin at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, but he passed the test and won the match in four sets.
The Serbian made it through to the second week of the grass-court major, which is great for him because he’s that much closer to winning the event, which was the goal. The fact that he finds himself in the second week is very impressive, even with his record at the event.
Just a few weeks ago, Djokovic underwent a meniscus surgery and returned to the courts against all odds. The recovery wasn’t perfect, and he didn’t arrive at Wimbledon at 100%, but he’s playing painlessly, which is the most important thing.
It still affects movement, and obviously, that may have contributed to him dropping the first set against Popyrin. While being a one-dimensional player, Popyrin can make his opponent’s life miserable if he plays the way he can.
He certainly did that in the first set, dominating on his serve and outhitting the seven-time Wimbledon champion in rallies to take the opener 6-4. The Serbian responded perfectly in the second set, winning it 6-3.
He increased his aggressiveness, which resulted in 15 winners in the second set, more than Popyrin had in the first set. Djokovic also served really well, which destroyed any hope Popyrin had of breaking the Serbian’s serve.
The next set saw Popyrin play a little bit better than the second set, but he was still outplayed by the 24-time major winner, who was in the zone. He finished with 15 winners and only two unforced errors, which was simply too good for Popyrin.
The final was very competitive. The Australian didn’t really allow much in the first half of that set, but that didn’t bother Djokovic, who patiently waited for the chance and took it when it came in the tie-break, winning the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3).
Novak Djokovic vs Alexei Popyrin Match Stats:
| Novak Djokovic | 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3) | Alexei Popyrin |
| 19 | Aces | 19 |
| 3 | Double Faults | 4 |
| 69% | First Serve % | 74% |
| 88% (69/78) | Points Won After First Serve % | 73% (72/98) |
| 60% (21/35) | Points Won After Second Serve % | 46% (16/35) |
| 25% (2/8) | Break Point Conversion | 50% (1/2) |
| 53 | Winners | 52 |
| 18 | Unforced Errors | 31 |
