WIMBLEDON, England – His 43-match winning streak broken but his well-known sense of humor still intact, Novak Djokovic was ready for some tough questions on the eve of Wimbledon.
"You had this losing streak of one, so what are you going to do to change that?" the second-ranked Serb was asked Saturday, as he prepares to play for the first time since losing to Roger Federer in the French Open semifinals.
The inquisitor? None other than Caroline Wozniacki, the top-ranked woman, who sneaked her way back into the All England Club's main interview room shortly after sitting through her own news conference.
"Well, you know what? I will try to look up to some women players who have been so consistent with their wins. For example, like, Caroline Wozniacki," Djokovic said, smiling all the way through his answer. "I don't know if you've heard about her. She's been winning so much. She's become a role model for all of us ATP players.
"So I'm going to try to look (at) some of her matches and try to break this losing streak of one," he added. "Try to get on the right path."
Djokovic's perfect season and six-month winning streak ended in Paris. His "losing streak" is now about two weeks long, because he decided to pull out of the grass-court tournament at Queen's Club.
He'll get his first chance to snap the skid when he faces Jeremy Chardy of France in the first round at Wimbledon, where play begins Monday.
To win his first Wimbledon title — and third Grand Slam trophy overall — Djokovic might have to beat six-time champion Federer in the semifinals.
For Federer, that's just fine.
"I know I can beat Novak on any surface. I've done that in the past," said Federer, who had lost to Djokovic in the U.S. Open and Australian Open semifinals before beating him in the same round at Roland Garros.
"Just because he's on a great winning streak doesn't mean he's unbeatable. That was my mindset going into the match in Paris," Federer added. "Here at Wimbledon, anyway, I'm even more confident. I think I'm a better player than in Paris, so I expect myself to do really well here, even better maybe."
Federer and top-ranked Rafael Nadal have combined to win the last eight titles at the All England Club. And with one more for Federer, he would tie Pete Sampras' record of seven Wimbledon titles.
Djokovic would like to get No. 1 at the All England Club, where he twice has reached the semifinals — but never the final.
Two days before the first point is played, he and Wozniacki already were having some fun.
A few minutes after she finished answering questions from the media and left the main interview room, Wozniacki slipped back through a door at the back of the mini-theater and took a seat as Djokovic was busy speaking to reporters.
As one journalist began to ask something, Djokovic interrupted, having noticed the new face in the crowd.
"Sorry, I have a question there," the Serb said, motioning toward Wozniacki. "Where are you from?"
The Dane said she worked for the "Monaco newspaper on Avenue Princess Grace," where the two live near each other.
"So who is your favorite women's tennis player?" Wozniacki asked.
"Well, we'll have to keep that a secret," Djokovic answered, but later relented, saying his favorite player is his neighbor. "From time to time, we have coffee there on the beach and just relax and have lunch, have a jog."
Said Wozniacki: "I'm sure she must be a really, really nice girl."
Replied Djokovic: "She is a really, really nice girl. She's a great entertainer. No. 1. You never heard about her?"
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