Novak Djokovic gave Wimbledon a familiar reminder on Centre Court: even at 39, he can still turn a dangerous draw into a one-sided night.
The seven-time champion beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday to reach the third round for the 20th time at the grass-court major. The result changes the picture around his campaign after he had been pushed through a four-set opener against Wu Yibing.
This time, Djokovic left little room for drama. He hit 33 winners against just seven unforced errors, did not drop serve, and closed out the match in one hour and 38 minutes.
Tsitsipas arrived ranked No. 87 after injury problems and uneven form, a long way from the player who reached two Grand Slam finals. He still had moments, including an around-the-net forehand winner in the second set, but Djokovic shut down the danger with two unreturned serves and back-to-back aces.
The pressure is now on the rest of the draw to stop a player who still looks at home on Wimbledon’s biggest stage. Djokovic now leads Tsitsipas 13-2 in their head-to-head record after winning their first meeting on grass.
Djokovic broke for 5-4 in the second set after scrambling through two Tsitsipas smashes, then lifted the Centre Court crowd again in the third with a return game that helped him move within sight of the finish.
“You feel very happy, satisfied and joyful on the court when you are playing this way,” Djokovic said after the match.
His next test is Arthur Rinderknech, the 25th seed from France, who beat Martin Damm 6-4, 7-6(1), 6-3 to reach the third round for the second year in a row.
