Carson Branstine made her Wimbledon debut in 2025 and immediately found herself on the biggest of stages.
Advancing to the Wimbledon main draw via qualifying, Branstine was rewarded with a first-round tie with Aryna Sabalenka.
Giving it her all, Branstine represented herself well against the world number one, but came up short, as Sabalenka won in straight sets 6-1, 7-5.
Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images
After the match, the Canadian met 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, whom she had ‘shouted out’ in an interview earlier in the week.
Branstine has now revealed what the Serb said to her when they spoke for the first time at Wimbledon in 2025.
Novak Djokovic told Carson Branstine she has a ‘great game’ and that he’d love to talk to her more
Appearing as a guest on ‘The Slice Tennis’, Branstine recalled the conversation she had with Djokovic after her first-round match at Wimbledon.
“The way I met Novak [Djokovic] just caught me off guard,” she said.
“After the match, I met him when I was walking to the media, he was like ‘Carson [Branstine]’, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, hey you, what’s up?’ I literally had to leave, and he knew it too, and he was walking out with his kids.
“He was super nice, saying thank you for shouting me out, and that, I think you have a great game, I saw some of your matches, I’d love to talk to you more when there’s more time.
“I guess that’s not the last time we will talk, but he’s awesome.”
The 24-year-old proceeded to praise Djokovic for the way he interacts with younger players, something she wishes WTA veterans would do.
Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images
“I love that he connects with a lot of the younger players, I think it’s an important thing for someone who’s at that point in their career,” said Branstine.
“I wish more players did it, honestly, especially on the women’s side, it doesn’t seem like there’s anyone quite so engaging, it was refreshing.”
Branstine had already posted about her interaction with Djokovic on social media, where she named him as the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all time).
Had the honor to meet the goat & my idol @DjokerNole after my match, I want to acknowledge how kind he is & how he thanked me for shouting him out in my interview after qualifying. I think I was Balkan in another life because I always end up friends with yall 😅 ajde!!
— Carson Branstine (@carsonbranstine) July 2, 2025
View Tweet
“Had the honor to meet the G.O.A.T. and my idol, Novak Djokovic, after my match. I want to acknowledge how kind he is and how he thanked me for shouting him out in my interview after qualifying,” she said on X.
“I think I was Balkan in another life because I always end up friends with you all.”
Qualifying for the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career at Wimbledon, Branstine looked like she belonged on Centre Court.
Taking confidence from that experience and her meeting with Djokovic, Branstine will no doubt return to Wimbledon in 2025 looking for more.
What’s next for Carson Branstine after her Wimbledon debut?
Currently ranked 194th in the world, Branstine is a long way off from making the main draws of WTA tournaments.
Therefore, the Canadian will now return to the lower-tiered ITF level, where she plans to compete at the Evansville ITF 100 event.
In a competitive field, Branstine will be joined by top 100 star Yue Yuan in Indiana, USA.
Photo by Thomas Schreyer/VCG via Getty Images
Her primary goal for the next few months will be to ramp up preparations for the US Open qualifying event.
It’s unlikely Branstine will be able to accumulate enough points to reach the main draw directly, but heading to Flushing Meadows with some big wins under her belt will do her confidence a world of good.
As is the case in all four Grand Slam tournaments, players need to win three qualifying matches to reach the main draw.
Appearing in two Grand Slam qualifying events throughout her career, Branstine failed to make it through in Paris before winning the three matches required at Wimbledon.
2025 French Open Q1 – Carson Branstine beat Whitney Osuigwe2025 French Open Q2 – Carson Branstine lost to Rebeka Masarova2025 Wimbledon Q1 – Carson Branstine beat Lois Boisson2025 Wimbledon Q2 – Carson Branstine beat Bianca Andreescu2025 Wimbledon Q3 – Carson Branstine beat Raluca Georgiana Serban
Only time will tell if she can repeat her Wimbledon success at the US Open later this year, but it will certainly be something to look out for.
The 2025 US Open qualifying tournament is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 18.