The two sides of Novak Djokovic show how Wimbledon champion has achieved perfection
The seven-time Wimbledon champion showed both composure and passion on Centre Court to ease into the third round
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A breeze swept across Centre Court just after 5pm, boosting the hopes of the heavy-hitting Thompson, aiming to end one of the great sporting streaks of the modern era: 29 consecutive wins since 2017, with fortress Centre Court not breached since 2013.
Djokovic, who clinched a 350th grand slam win, joining Roger Federer and Serena Williams as the only players in the history to achieve that, has wrestled even the most ardent Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal fans into submission in the exhausting debate surrounding who is the greatest man to ever pick up a racket. Yet the appreciation for this titan shines brighter than ever.
There was barely a flicker of emotion across 30 sublime opening minutes of tennis, which produced a staggering zero unforced errors. A slight clench of the fist, with a 3-2 lead, after a delicate volley brought up break point, illustrated Djokovic’s complete control.
Yet Thompson’s grit ensured no collapse despite that ominous first set. Instead, comforted by his first-round comeback to battle through Brandon Nakashima in five sets, Thompson routinely pulled Djokovic away from the baseline, demanding exquisite touch at the net. And when it was not there, the sheer puzzled look across Djokovic’s face provided a small victory for the world No. 70, Thompson, Centre Court’s affection for the underdog and a gnarly slip for the Serbian soon brought out a different side though.
Thompson let out a scream in anguish when a simple volley sailed long as a precious set came within his grasp. But Djokovic gradually churned through the gears; from a roar at the end of the eighth game in the second set to remain on serve, to surviving numerous missiles from Thompson now reaching 132mph. The variety of Djokovic’s game soon emerged; a punishing smash at the net and then a backhand, with barely any angle to manoeuvre a pass, rocketed past the helpless Australian.
Carlos Alcaraz and others will hope to build a blueprint on the court to dethrone Djokovic, but the 23-time grand slam winner possesses much more than just wizardry with his racket.
“The nerves are always there,” Djokovic said this week. “I don’t recall the last time I played an official tennis match anywhere, particularly in grand slams, where I didn’t feel any nerves. It’s normal. It’s just a matter of how you adapt and obviously focus your attention on being productive to yourself.”
And this is the most important side of Djokovic. The composure and resilience to remain unflappable. That and just how much this still means to him at 36 years of age. Forget the roar, forget the fist pump, Djokovic hurtled toward the Centre Court crowd, limbs flailing after a crucial hold at 4-5.
The intense mental battle could be seen in Thompson’s snippets of commentary for the Centre Court crowd too. After almost two hours, with shadows covering the pristine green stage, Thompson could be heard crying “no” with an Aussie twang after several audacious drop shots that dared to force Djokovic to scramble toward the net.
The match turned during an engrossing second set tie-breaker, which perfectly displayed why Djokovic has been so formidable this year. A year that may define his legacy and clinch immortal status in the game. Wimbledon and the US Open, to go with his Australian and French Open crowns, would give him the calendar grand slam, a feat not done by a man since 1969.
And after Thompson’s double fault and pinpoint accuracy from Djokovic’s serve, three of which were unreturned, the tie-breaker was tilted in the No. 2 seed’s favour. Celebrating with a finger to the head, a tribute to Marcus Rashford perhaps, suggested Djokovic was as impressed as the crowd with his composure.
The thrilling style of this match endured throughout, with Thompson loyal to the serve-and-volley, epitomised by the final point. A dizzying rally concluded with Djokovic forcing one too many volleys at the net from Thompson, who smashed the ball out of the arena in disgust. You could appreciate his frustration at sampling one of sport’s near-impossible challenges.
But Thompson can be proud of his efforts, rarely does a player demand both sides of Djokovic, especially on this surface and on Centre Court. Together, they make Djokovic almost perfect.
Elsewhere in the men’s singles draw on day three, fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame former US Open champion Dominic Thiem in a five-set epic (3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-7, 7-6), as the pair finished their clash after Tuesday’s rain delays. World No 3 Daniil Medvedev and sixth seed Holger Rune both dismissed British wildcards in straight sets, with Medvedev beating 20-year-old Arthur Fery (7-5, 6-4, 6-3) and Rune defeating 22-year-old George Loffhagen (7-6, 6-3, 6-2).
Tenth seed Frances Tiafoe saw off Wu Yibing in straight sets (7-6, 6-3, 6-4), and Grigor Dimitrov kept his composure to ease past Sho Shimabukuro (6-1, 6-2, 6-1) amid the first of the day’s Just Stop Oil protests. Milos Raonic, runner-up to Andy Murray in the 2016 final, overcame Dennis Novak in four sets (6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-1).
In the women’s singles draw, world No 1 Iga Swiatek swatted aside Sara Sorribes Tormo (6-2, 6-0), while 11th seed Daria Kasatkina extinguished the faint hopes of Briton Jodie Burrage (6-0, 6-2), whose compatriot Heather Watson was also beaten in straight sets when she took on 10th seed Barbora Krejcikova (6-2, 7-5). The No 8 seed Maria Sakkari was upset by Marta Kostyuk in three sets (0-6, 7-5, 6-2), and the former US Open champion Sloane Stephens was a comfortable winner against Rebecca Peterson (6-2, 6-3).
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