Two more major titles and Novak Djokovic will have the calendar Grand Slam to go with the ridiculous number of records he has been breaking. That quest begins with a first round match at Wimbledon against one of the home favourites – Jamie Ward.
Ward could not have asked for a more difficult match in tennis in his home Grand Slam than the one against Djokovic. The world number one, right now, is as near unstoppable as they come in men's tennis. With the Australian Open and French Open, the first time he has won the title in Paris, in the bag, all of Djokovic's focus will be on defending his Wimbledon title.
"Even though I've been very blessed to achieve this childhood dream and win this tournament three times, I still feel that kind of excitement as if I'm coming in for the first time," Djokovic was quoted as saying by Wimbledon's official website.
"Of course, the situation this year is quite different from previous years because I'm coming in with a Roland Garros title for the first time. That gives me, obviously, a lot of confidence prior to this event."
Not only does he have the French Open title, but the Serbian is currently the holder of all four Grand Slams, which just goes to show the dominance of the right-hander in the men's circuit. If he wins his fourth Wimbledon title and then goes on to clinch the US Open title after that, then it will be difficult not to make a case for him being the greatest player of all-time.
Djokovic will be aware of the history to be made but he will also know of the perils of thinking too far ahead, with the key now being his first match against Ward, a player he has never faced, at Centre Court on Monday.
"Every time you face an opponent for the first time, it's always important to start off well and not allow your opponent to take his chances and opportunities," Djokovic added. "It's going to be the first match on the untouched grass. That's probably one of the most special tennis matches that you get to experience as a professional tennis player.
"I'm looking forward to that. Obviously, I know that he doesn't have much to lose. The Centre Court is one of the cradles of our sport, will be hopefully packed, and we can enjoy a great match."
Ward will garner plenty of support in this match from the home crowd, and he can also go into the contest with a nothing-to-lose mentality. The Brit is not even expected to take a game off Djokovic's serve in this first round, so going for broke from the off might not be such a bad idea.
"It's going to be a great day, something you have to make the most of and enjoy," Ward told The Guardian. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play him in London, at Wimbledon, the world No.1, one of the greatest players of all-time, someone I've never played, on Centre Court, where it's always been a dream for me to play.
"I'm looking forward to it ... though I am a little bit nervous."
Where to Watch Live
Novak Djokovic vs James Ward will open up Wimbledon 2016 on Centre Court, with the match set to begin at 1 p.m. local time (5.30 p.m. IST, 8 a.m. ET). Below is the live streaming and TV information for this Wimbledon match.
India: TV: Star Sports 1 and Star Sports HD1. Live Streaming: Starsports.com and Hotstar.
UK: TV: BBC Two. Live Streaming: BBC iPlayer.
USA: TV: ESPN3. Live streaming: Watch ESPN.
Australia: TV: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
Serbia: TV: B92 (RTS).
France and Middle East: TV: Bein Sports. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
China: TV: Beijing TV, LeTV Sports, Jiangsu TV.
Pan-Asia: TV: Fox Sports Asia. Live Streaming: Fox Sports Play Asia.
Canada: TV: CTV and TSN. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
Europe: TV: EuroSport. Live Streaming: EuroSport Player.
