Preview: Wimbledon: Miomir Kecmanovic vs. Novak Djokovic - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Novak Djokovic bids for his 100th win at Wimbledon in Saturday's all-Serbian contest against Miomir Kecmanovic.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion has not exited at the third round since the 2016 event, and he enters their fourth meeting on the ATP Tour unbeaten in previous encounters with the 25-year-old.

Match preview

If Kecmanovic goes deep in this year’s Wimbledon, the 25-year-old Serb will look back fondly at his first-round victory against Alex Michelsen, whom he defeated in a thrilling five-setter.

The 2025 Delray Beach champion then needed a comeback win to defeat Dutchman Jesper de Jong in his last match, recovering from a tame opening set to win 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

The outcome of Thursday's win means that the world No. 49 gets another opportunity to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon for the first time after falling at the same stage in 2022 and 2024.

The 25-year-old has previously faced Djokovic and Jannik Sinner en route to this stage, and he seeks to be third-time lucky this weekend.

Having not reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam since last year's run at the Australian Open, where he also reached the last 16 two years earlier, the younger Serb aims to thwart the 24-time Slam champion's bid for a century of wins at Wimbledon.

The seven-time champion on these prestigious courts is the undeniable favourite to secure the victory on Saturday, which would take him into the last 16 for the eighth consecutive time.

Not since a shocking third-round defeat to Sam Querrey has Djokovic been defeated so early at SW19, underscoring his pedigree at the Championships, where he has competed in the title match in the past six tournaments.

Djokovic's latest win took him to 99 career victories at SW19 and 44 since turning 30, placing him one more triumph away from matching Roger Federer's remarkable feat.

Expected to emulate his great rival by beating his countryman, the 38-year-old superstar, fresh from improving to 23-8 for the season, is seeking to continue his stunning run at the All England Club, where only Carlos Alcaraz has beaten him in the past eight years.

Any outcome other than a Djokovic win against the player 13 years his junior would likely be regarded as one of the biggest upsets in this year’s tournament, which has been laden with unexpected results.

However, the seven-time champion is determined to avoid becoming the latest seeded player to be eliminated at SW19.

Tournament so far

Miomir Kecmanovic:

First round: vs. Alex Michelsen 6-2 3-6 6-3 3-6 7-6[6]

Second round: vs. Jesper De Jong 1-6 6-3 6-2 6-4

Novak Djokovic:

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

Second round: vs. Dan Evans 6-3 6-2 6-0

Head To Head

Wimbledon (2022) - Third round: Djokovic 6-0 6-3 6-4 

Belgrade (2022) - Quarter-finals: Djokovic 4-6 6-3 6-3 

Belgrade (2021) - Quarter-finals: Djokovic 6-1 6-3

Djokovic leads Kecmanovic 3-0 in their head-to-head record, although Saturday’s match will be their first since 2022.

That encounter was also at this same stage at Wimbledon, and the 100-time ATP champion seeks a similar victory to enter the second week at SW19 for the eighth consecutive appearance.

Further highlighting the world No. 49's challenges is Kecmanovic's record of 5-25 against the top 10, where he is winless in his last four matches against elite players, losing to Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, Alex de Minaur and Casper Ruud.

We say: Djokovic to win in three sets

Although Djokovic is known for occasionally dropping a set at majors, the Serbian superstar has served impressively in the first and second rounds, thereby scoring cheap points on serve.

Consequently, the seven-time Wimbledon champion is backed to dispatch his countryman and secure his 100th victory at the Championships.

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