Dusan Lajovic reached the Monte Carlo final in 2019, losing it to Fabio Fognini. The Serb returned to the Principality two years later and suffered a 6-3, 6-7, 6-2 loss to Daniel Evans in the opening round. In the press conference, Dusan was asked about Wimbledon and to describe his emotions at the world’s most prestigious tournament. The Serb faced the eighth-time champion Roger Federer in early rounds in 2017 and 2018. Thus, he got a chance to step on the sacred Centre Court alongside one of the most accomplished grass-courters in history and fulfill his childhood dream. Roger and Dusan met in the second round in 2017, and the Swiss scored a 7-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory in an hour and 30 minutes.
Dusan Lajovic spoke about his matches against Roger Federer at Wimbledon.
The Serb made a better start and broke a great opponent before the Swiss pulled the break back immediately. They both served well until the tie break, and Roger won it 7-0 to gain momentum ahead of the remaining sets. It was all about him in sets two and three, serving well and earning three breaks to move over the finish line. A year later, the defending champion Federer and Lajovic kicked off the Center Court’s action in the opening round. The Swiss delivered a 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 triumph in an hour and 19 minutes to sail into the second round. Roger lost 11 points in 13 service games, never faced a break point and mounted the pressure on the other side. Lajovic was far from that pace, getting broken five times and propelling Federer into the second round.
“My favorite Wimbledon memory is playing Roger Federer on the Centre Court because of his incredible record at the All England Club. To step on the court and share it with Roger was one of the most remarkable things that happened to me at that tournament. When you start playing, the whole quiet environment and atmosphere at the Centre Court bring different feelings from what we usually have at other events. I never had much success on grass, but Wimbledon is still my favorite tournament. One of the earliest books I got was Wimbledon 1991; I think Stich won that year. When I was a kid, I read about this and watched the photos in the book. It made a good impression when I stepped on that Centre Court. It’s good to relive your childhood dreams,” Dusan Lajovic said.