- Novak Djokovic faces Russian star Andrey Rublev in his Wimbledon quarterfinal match Tuesday night.
- The 23-time Grand Slam champion said his 5-year-old daughter, Tara, may root against her dad.
Sure, Novak Djokovic may be the reigning champion, the greatest Grand Slam winner of the modern era, and her father, but Tara Djokovic may not be rooting for her dad to win his Wimbledon quarterfinal match on Tuesday.
The Serbian superstar said his 5-year-old daughter "normally doesn't follow tennis much," but that she's a massive fan of Russian player Andrey Rublev. Djokovic faces the 25-year-old — who is ranked No. 7 in the world — on Center Court Tuesday with a trip to the semifinals on the line.
"She likes him," Djokovic told BBC Sport with a smile. "She likes him for his headband and for his energy and intensity."
"That's the number one choice of my daughter, yes," he added.
Rublev will need any advantage he can get to take down Djokovic, who has been all but unstoppable through the first half of the tennis season. The world No. 2 won each of the first two major tournaments of the year — the Australian Open and the French Open — and has only lost four matches in 2023.
As if winning another title isn't motivation enough for Djokovic, the 23-time Grand Slam champion is pursuing several records at this year's tournament. Should he win it all, the 36-year-old will tie Margaret Court's record for most career singles Grand Slam victories of all time and even Roger Federer's record of eight career Wimbledon titles on the men's side.
Djokovic's dreams of securing a Calendar Slam — winning the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and US Open in a single year — are also on the line. He'd become the first men's singles player in more than 50 years — since Rod Laver earned his second-career Calendar Slam in 1989 — to achieve the elusive feat.
Even still, Djokovic knows it may be tough to convince his daughter to cheer for him.
"Hopefully Daddy comes in front," he said with a laugh.
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—BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 11, 2023