Wimbledon: ‘He’s still the favourite’ – Laura Robson ‘not worried at all’ about Novak Djokovic being ‘rusty’

Reigning champion Novak Djokovic is “still the favourite” to go all the way at Wimbledon 2022, according to Laura Robson.

Djokovic is looking to bounce back in a big way after he suffered a crushing defeat to Rafael Nadal at Roland-Garros as the Spaniard went on to secure his 22nd Grand Slam singles title in Paris.

Robson, who was working for Eurosport on Monday, gave her views about the Serb’s form and all that he has endured since his nightmare at the Australian Open earlier in the year.

“I’m not worried at all [about Novak],” Robson told Eurosport. “He was my favourite going into the tournament, and he is still my favourite after today.

“After the last couple of months, it’s understandable that he still has a little bit of rust. He was saying in his interview that Kwon was playing some difficult tennis. it was tough to get the rhythm he wanted going into the match and everyone wants to beat him.

“All the pressure is on Djokovic and not his opponent. They all think that there is a chance [to beat him] because he’s not necessarily playing his best tennis at the moment. To get through these early rounds with a win is enough for him right now.

“He is a bit rusty. You can tell from the match that he is still a bit rusty. What happened in Australia really lasted for a few months, weighing on his shoulders.

“The amount of drama that we went through there, and it takes a long time to get over something like that. To have a chance to play on Centre Court on day one has always got to be one of his favourite days of the year.

“He’s so comfortable out there, and even when he isn’t playing his best tennis, it is enough to win and Djokovic needs to get through a few of these early rounds. He’s still the favourite.”

Pre-tournament, Greg Rusedski had made the point that he felt Djokovic was “angry” after what had happened to him in Australia and his subsequent defeat to Nadal at the French Open.

“The problem you have is, you have players who have the potential but winning is a totally different thing,” he said on Amazon Prime Video.

“Making the finals is one thing, but you have to have this mindset that’s absolutely insane these days because of the big three or four we’ve had over the generations.

“Djokovic is angry because he hasn’t won a slam this year and the way he went out to Rafa in the French Open will have hurt him.

“Rafa’s trying to go for the calendar slam. He wouldn’t be showing up if his foot wasn’t 100 per cent and he was ready to go and Berrettini has been by far the best.

“Hurkacz is a guy who can go deep – semis or final – but win? Not with those three. Those three guys at the moment have separated themselves from the pack.”

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