Preview: Wimbledon: Dan Evans vs. Novak Djokovic - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Dan Evans is the undeniable underdog ahead of a second-round Wimbledon match with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic on Thursday. 

The British wildcard is bidding to be the first player outside the top 100 since Denis Istomin in 2017 to beat the 24-time Grand Slam champion, who has not lost a second-round match at the Championships since 2008.

Match preview

Evans let out a roar on Tuesday after seeing off Jay Clarke 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 in an all-British encounter. 

The victory ended the 35-year-old's four-match losing run at the Championships, thereby securing a victory at his home slam since a straight-sets win over Dusan Lajovic in 2021. 

That second-round victory took the former world No. 21 into that year's third round before losing to Sebastian Korda in four sets, a defeat that was followed by first-round disappointments against Jason Kubler in 2022, Quentin Halys in 2023 and Alejandro Tabilo last year. 

Having entered this year's Championships with a 6-9 overall record at the event, notching a seventh victory was just what the doctor ordered for the veteran, whose grass season already included runs to the last 16 at ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Queen's Club Championships and Eastbourne. 

Evans got the better of Frances Tiafoe at Queen's and Tommy Paul in Eastbourne, both top-20 players, highlighting an encouraging season on the surface. 

That decent-to-good performance on grass probably aided the world No. 154's success on Tuesday; however, he now enters the second round one win away from matching his 2016, 2019 and 2021 feats of reaching the third round. 

On the other side of the net is Djokovic, who is seeking an eighth Wimbledon title and 25th overall at this year's tournament. 

The 38-year-old faced a medical scare in Tuesday's match against Alexandre Muller when he had to receive treatment in the third set; however, the 100-time ATP champion found an extra gear to seal a 6-1, 6-7(7), 6-2, 6-2 success in three hours and 19 minutes. 

Djokovic has not lost to an opponent as lowly ranked as Evans since suffering a second-round defeat to Istomin in Australia eight years ago. 

Since then, the Serbian superstar has avoided defeats to such opponents, securing 34 consecutive triumphs and aims for a 35th to silence the home crowd at the All England Club on Thursday. 

Tuesday’s victory saw the seven-time champion improve to 22-8 for the season, and he seeks a 23rd win to secure passage into the third round. 

Djokovic, who is just two more wins away from reaching 100 victories at Wimbledon, has competed in the past six title matches at the Championships and is the favourite to avoid his earliest exit at SW19, which occurred when he fell in the second round to Marat Safin in 2008.

Tournament so far

Dan Evans:

First round: vs. Jay Clarke 6-1 7-5 6-2

Novak Djokovic:

First round: vs. Alexandre Muller 6-1 6-7[7] 6-2 6-2

Head To Head

Monte-Carlo Masters (2021) - Round of 16: Evans 6-4 7-5 

Evans stunned Djokovic in their only previous meeting on the ATP Tour, achieving a remarkable victory over the 24-time Grand Slam champion in Monte Carlo four years ago. 

Only two more wins over top-10 players have been secured since then — the Briton beat Andrey Rublev in Canada in 2022 and Frances Tiafoe in 2023 in Washington — underscoring the 35-year-old's struggles against the elite, against whom he holds a 6-31 career record. 

Although the 100-time titleholder was upset by Reilly Opelka in Brisbane earlier this season, Djokovic holds an 8-1 record against opponents ranked lower than No. 100 on the tour in 2025 and has not been beaten by an opponent outside the top 100 at a Grand Slam since losing to Istomin in Australia in 2017.

We say: Djokovic to win in four sets

Djokovic is 75-1 in majors against players ranked outside the top 100, having claimed 34 straight wins since that shock exit to Istomin at the 2017 Australian Open. 

While Evans could potentially snatch a set, it is difficult to make a genuine case for an upset against the sport’s greatest player, who is expected to get the job done in four sets to set up a third-round contest with Miomir Kecmanovic or Jesper de Jong.

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