Novak Djokovic entered 2016 Wimbledon as the favourite right after he completed a Career Slam at Roland Garros. After two tight wins at the SW19, the then defending champion was dumped out in the third round by unseeded Sam Querrey.
When the Serb steps on court in London later today, he will be reminded of the upset, which also triggered his Grand Slam drought. The world number four now gears up to face Latvia's Ernests Gulbis, who stunned Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro on Thursday, in the third round encounter.
Djokovic should be relieved that he is not facing Del Potro, the big-hitter, who ousted the Serb from Rio Olympics as early as in the first round. However, the three-time champion faces a tricky test against Gulbis -- the former world number 10, who is looking in good shape in the ongoing tournament.
Gulbis' career has been marred by injuries and he is now the lowest ranked player (589) in 15 seasons to appear in the third round of Wimbledon. However, the Latvian seems to be feeling confident after his 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(3) win over Del Potro.
"I had nothing to lose today [Thursday] and I am going to have even less to lose next match. Maybe I will play even better," Gulbis said, after downing the Argentine in his second-round match.
He added: "In my brain, I am still No.10 in the world, I know I can do certain things but the body cannot do it yet."
Notably, Gulbis has had 17 wins over top 10 players but is yet to progress beyond the third round at Wimbledon. Having not played on grass before in the ongoing season, the 28-year-old faced early exits in Barcelona, Estoril and French Open on the dirt.
On the other hand, Djokovic, who has been struggling to make an impact in the major this season, seems to be getting back to his best at the right time. Playing his first grass-court tournament outside Wimbledon since 2011, the 30-year-old raced to title in Nottingham last month.
Comfortable wins over Martin Klizan and Adam Pavlasek have come his way in London, but he needs to be at his best to beat the resurgent Gulbis.
When and where to watch live
Djokovic vs Gulbis is the second match on Centre Court on Saturday. The first match begins at 1 pm BST, 5.30 pm IST. Live Streaming and TV information is below.
India: TV: Star Sports Select 1HD. Live Streaming: Hotstar.
UK: TV: BBC One and BBC Two. Live Streaming: BBC iPlayer.
USA: TV: ESPN. Live streaming: Watch ESPN.
Australia: TV: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
France and Middle East: TV: Bein Sports. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
Canada: TV: CTV and TSN. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
Italy: TV: Sky Italia. Live streaming: Sky Go
Asia: TV: Fox Sports Asia. Live Streaming: Fox Sports Play Asia.
China: TV: Beijing TV.
