As the match clock ticked over the three-hour mark, Novak Djokovic hurled his body towards a ball to execute a volley. He connected, sending it sailing over his French opponent, Arthur Rinderknech, who also lay prostrate on the other side of the net. His day was done. Djokovic raised his arms in celebration before turning to his daughter in the stands, breaking into a celebratory jig that instantly became a viral social media moment.
The Djokovic story at this year’s Wimbledon is trapped in the remarkable numbers that surround it. He is 39. He has won this thing seven times already. If he does it again, he will become the only human, in all of tennis history, male or female, to win 25 major titles.
