Defending champion Novak Djokovic made a fine comeback from a set down to beat experienced campaigner Radek Stepanek in four sets on Friday and secured his berth in the fourth round of the 2012 Wimbledon tournament. In his second-round encounter against the American Ryan Harrison, the Serbian opted for a ruthless counter-attack and mustered a comprehensive victory in the end. Now, Djokovic will take on his compatriot Viktor Troicki, who earned five set victories in the first two rounds here at Wimbledon against Granollers and Klizan. In his third-round encounter, Troicki beat Juan Monaco in straight sets to set up this clash with World No. 1.

After a massive upset of Rafael Nadal in the second-round, Novak Djokovic must be feeling a bit cautious – going into this match against his compatriot Troicki, who has been enjoying some decent form on grass at Wimbledon.  With 39-6 win-loss record, Novak Djokovic is certainly enjoying a good run this season. Well, it would appear pretty short if we compare his ongoing season’s exploits with the last season, which saw the best of him.  The Serbian has won two titles so far in the new season. Now that Rafa is out of contention, Roger Federer is the next big threat to Djokovic’s No. 1 position. If the Serbian fails to reach the final and Federer manages to win his seventh Wimbledon title, then the Swiss genius can reclaim his No. 1 ranking again.

This is Troicki’s best showing at Wimbledon so far in his career and now he is one victory away from securing his berth in the quarterfinals. But, he will have to play out of his skin to upset his compatriot and defending champion. Troicki turned professional in 2006 and has won a single ATP World Tour title so far in his career. The Serbian has a decent 20-16 win-loss record for the season so far.

In head-to-head, Djokovic apparently leads with 11-1 against his compatriot. Last time they met in Miami Masters earlier this season, where Djokovic topped his compatriot in straight sets. Well, Troicki earned his only victory against Djokovic in their first meeting – way back in 2007 in Umag. Well, Troicki will have to come up with something superb this time to register his second victory against Djokovic.