Djokovic beats Tsitsipas to reach Wimbledon third round

LONDON: Novak Djokovic moved into the Wimbledon third round for the 20th time on Wednesday after a straight-sets win over Stefanos Tsitsipas, producing a performance that underlined his pursuit of more history at the All England Club.

The 39-year-old Serb beat Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 under the Centre Court roof. The victory kept alive his attempt to secure a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title and an eighth Wimbledon crown, which would draw him level with Roger Federer for the most men's titles at the tournament.

Djokovic, seeded seventh, will next face France's 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech on Friday, with a place in the second week at stake. He also became the oldest player still in contention to become the oldest men's Grand Slam singles champion of the Open era.

After the match, Djokovic was asked whether it had been a vintage display. He said "I like the terminology 'vintage', it brings back the best days and you feel very satisfied and joyful on the court when you're playing this way"

He also spoke about continuing to compete at the top level at this stage of his career, saying:

"I try not to take these moments for granted playing on Centre Court of a childhood dream tournament", he added.

Clinical display against Tsitsipas

Djokovic had been tested at times in his opening-round win over Wu Yibing, but he was far more assured against Tsitsipas. The former world number one extended his winning run against the Greek to 12 matches and never allowed his opponent a route back into the contest.

His numbers reflected the control he exerted. Djokovic won 88 percent of points behind his first serve, saved all five break points he faced, struck 33 winners and committed only seven unforced errors. He served out the match for his 104th Wimbledon victory after recovering from 15-40 down in the final game.

Tsitsipas, once ranked as high as world number three, is now 87th in the ATP standings. The Greek has reached two Grand Slam finals in his career, losing both to Djokovic, but he has not made the third round of a major since his quarter-final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 French Open.

Djokovic keeps focus on Wimbledon history

Djokovic broke serve once in each of the opening two sets before showing the full range of his shot-making in the third. A light-hearted moment occurred after the second set when he asked a ball-girl to remove a tag from his shirt and then jokingly pretended she had cut his arm.

During his post-match interview, Djokovic also turned to Rory McIlroy, who was in the royal box, and challenged the golfer to a tennis match in exchange for McIlroy's Masters green jacket.

Title favourite Jannik Sinner, who is in the same half of the draw as Djokovic, had shown vulnerability in both of his opening matches. If Djokovic sustains the standard he produced against Tsitsipas, he will remain firmly in the mix to add another major title and another Wimbledon trophy to his record.