Novak Djokovic: “Awesome to Know That Small Countries Are Doing So Well”

Wimbledon 2019 champion, Novak Djokovic praised Simona Halep for capturing her maiden Wimbledon Championships title in her first finals at the All England Lawn Tennis Club as the two celebrated their respective wins at the Wimbledon Champions Dinner.

Simona Halep defeated the 23-time grand slam champion, Serena Williams in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 to conquer the second grand slam title of her career. Contrasting to Halep’s match, Novak Djokovic had to dig deep against Roger Federer in the championship match to win a thrilling five-setter after saving two championship points in the final set.

The two showed mutual respect for each other during the champions dinner. The Serbian praised Halep to be able to face and deal with the all-time great without flinching. The World no. 1 was impressed with Halep’s dominating performance in her first Wimbledon Championships final.

Novak Djokovic congratulated the Romanian and said, “I was just telling her on the table that it was really impressive, how she handled herself in her first Wimbledon final against an all-time great. Serena is a fierce competitor, someone that has won Wimbledon titles so many times before. She was in that position many, many times before.”

Simona Halep has certainly been one of the most consistent players in the WTA from the past two years, winning two majors in two years. The 27-year-old was not the favorite in the finals against Williams.

She also had an inferior head-to-head record of 1-9 against the American. However, she didn’t doubt her game and had the right fighting spirit of fulfilling her dream to win the Wimbledon title.

Djokovic also wished her the best for many success in the future. He continued, “Simona showed why she is a great champion and I definitely wish her many more success to come. She’s got it all; She has the game, she has the fighting spirit, she has now the experience.”

The 16-time grand slam champion was extremely contented about the fact that players from small countries of Romania and Serbia are doing so well in the big stages of the sport.

He further added, “It’s really awesome to know that the small countries of Romania and Serbia, that neighboring countries are doing so well on the world stage.”