Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic showed he remains a serious contender for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title at the age of 38, following a clinical 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 second-round demolition of Briton Dan Evans on Centre Court on Thursday.
The Serb continues to defy time and has demonstrated why he has identified the Wimbledon grass as his best chance to add to his extraordinary Grand Slam tally.
It was a superb all-round performance in which he looked sharp and fit. He was never remotely troubled on serve until the final game of the match, while wildcard Evans was made to scramble for almost every point on his own serve.
The Briton saved nine break points in the first set before eventually succumbing on the 10th.
Djokovic continued to dominate Evans, who had defeated him in their only previous meeting on clay four years ago. Evans’s tame sliced backhands repeatedly failed him, crashing into the net or landing short, as the sixth seed cruised to victory.
Twenty years after first stepping onto the Wimbledon grass, Djokovic remains the most dangerous of floaters. Since losing in the quarter-finals in 2017, he has reached the last six finals winning four and losing the last two to Carlos Alcaraz.
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Based on Thursday’s performance, it would take a brave person to bet against him making it seven in a row.
“He (Evans) can cause a lot of trouble if you’re not on top of your game which I think I was, to be honest, from the very beginning,” Djokovic said.
“Technically and tactically, I knew exactly what I needed to do, and I executed it perfectly.
“Sometimes you have these kinds of days where everything goes your way, everything flows and it’s good to be in the shoes and holding the racquet on a day like this.”
The tone was set early, with Djokovic breezing through his service games while Evans was forced to battle for every hold. Roared on by a hopeful home crowd, the 35-year-old Briton saved four break points in a marathon fourth game. He saved three more in the sixth and another two in the eighth, before Djokovic finally broke at the 10th attempt.
Evans, once ranked as high as 21st in the world, has now dropped to 154th. His trademark backhand slice proved ineffective as Djokovic repeatedly attacked it with pinpoint precision.
As the match wore on, the result began to feel inevitable. Djokovic surged through the second set, then raced to a 5-0 lead in the third before Evans finally forced two break points only for the Serb to shut down the threat.
With the victory, Djokovic moves into the third round at Wimbledon for a record 19th time in the Open era at a tournament he cherishes above all others.
“I’ve said this a million times before, but I have to repeat it: Wimbledon still remains the most special tournament in my heart the one I always dreamed of winning when I was a kid,” he said.
“It’s still early in the tournament, but yes, I’m aware of the history on the line, and I’m thinking about the big things I can achieve here.”
