Despite having secured a winning start to his campaign at Wimbledon, there has been a bit of concern surrounding Novak Djokovic at the Serbian camp. Why? In his first round match, Djokovic was seen seeking medical attention twice in the third set. Speaking more on that, he later said, “I went from feeling my absolute best for a set and a half to my absolute worst for about 45 minutes. Whether it was a stomach bug, I struggled with that, but then the energy kicked back after the doctor’s miracle pills and I managed to finish the match on a good note.” However, thankfully for the Serb, he didn’t need any “miracle pills” in his second round match against Dan Evans, but…
As per the Serbian media, Djokovic wasn’t at his physical peak in this match as well! Serbian media outlet Blic even assessed his activity during the changeovers. They pointed out that he has used full-body stretching positions in the break multiple times, and according to their claims, he was suffering from some breathing problems. However, later on, Novak Djokovic calmed things down a bit by saying that last year her was a bit doubtful with his knee, but this year he claims he doesn’t have a major physical to think about in that sense. His overall body is in very good shape, but amid all these there were a new set of controversies was raised recently surrounding his post-match celebration.
What did he do? Well, Novak Djokovic was seen blowing kisses to the crowd before turning to the players’ box to perform the ‘pump’ moves after beating Dan Evans by 6-3,6-2,6-0 in the second round of 2025 Wimbledon. He pumped his hands towards the ground, before repeating the action to the sides and above his head. As per various reports, this pumping gesture has now become a bit controversial in Serbia. In fact the word pump is synonymous with a student protest and the word “pump it” is a phrase which is used by the students as a reminder to keep putting pressure on the government.
Since Novak Djokovic had previously praised protesting students in Serbia through various means, the question of whether or not it was a political gesture was quite obvious. Addressing that question during his post-match press conference, Djokovic clarified, “As I mentioned to the Serbian journalist, you know, it’s something between me and my children. So, we have a song, it’s called ‘Pump It Up.’ So I don’t know how many of you guys know that. It’s quite an old song, but good rhythm, and so yeah, we’re pumping. We love pumping. So, we pump after every win.“
Later on, he was even seen singing a few lines of that song. But this isn’t the first time that we’ve seen his celebrations stir a bit of both controversy and curiosity at the same time. Be it’s him mimicking Ben Shelton’s ‘dialed-in’ celebration after beating him at the 2023 US Open or singing a controversial song at Davis Cup in 2023 along with his teammates to celebrate their QF win, Novak Djokovic is never too far away from controversies.
Wimbledon 2025 Day 4 Dan Evans vs Novak Djokovic Wimbledon Championships 2025 Day 4, 03/07/25 Gentlemens Singles – Second Round Centre Court Dan Evans vs Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic wins in straight sets PUBLICATIONxINxGERxAUTxSUIxONLY Copyright: xMarcxAsplandx NINTCHDBPICT001007305085
But talking about curiosity, last year he was seen doing a violin celebration after beating Australia’s Alexei Popyrin in the third round. Seeing him putting his racket on his shoulder and trying to replicate as if he were playing a violin, fans were curious to know the real reason behind this unique celebration. In reply to that, he had then said, “My Tara [his daughter] has been playing the violin for some time, six months, and it was our agreement that I would celebrate like that.“
Speaking about celebrations, he mentioned how different athletes have their own thing and how they change it depending on the moment and feelings. Novak Djokovic loves celebrating in his own way, that’s for sure, but are we going to see more innovative celebrations in the upcoming days at Wimbledon? Let’s see! But for now, let’s check out what he said after his second-round win.
Novak Djokovic reflects on his chances at Wimbledon after his win against Dan Evans
Novak Djokovic has won this title seven times, and now he’s aiming to match Roger Federer’s record of 8 title triumphs at Wimbledon. With this win against Evans, Djokovic has now already set a few records beside his name. What are those? He has now become the oldest player to claim a 6-0 set in the men’s singles at the Wimbledon Championships since Jimmy Connors (in 1991). Other than that, by securing his 99th win at Wimbledon, he has also reached the third round of this tournament for the 19th time in his career.
Djokovic had already made it clear that he wouldn’t have been here if he didn’t think he had a chance of going all the way for the title at SW19. He will next take on his compatriot Miomir Kecmanović in the third round, and Novak Djokovic has a 3-0 record against the 25-year-old. Can he keep his winning run intact?
Time will tell! But after his win against Evans, Novak Djokovic looked quite confident with his chances at Wimbledon. He said, “If I play like today, I feel I have a very good chance against anybody on the Centre Court at Wimbledon, a place where I maybe feel the most comfortable of any court. Rod Laver Arena and Centre Court are the two courts I have done so well on throughout my career. I felt great physically, mentally sharp, and game-wise playing as well as I can on grass.“
Having said that, Djokovic also revealed his short interaction with another experienced campaigner after this match. “I met Gael Monfils in the locker room, and he smiled at me and said good day in the office. At this age, he said, we need those types of days!” With high aspirations and high objectives, how far do you think he can reach at Wimbledon this year? Catch every key moment from the Championships as it happens.
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