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Novak Djokovic beats Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to reach his 20th Wimbledon third round, chasing a 25th Grand Slam and eighth Wimbledon, next faces Arthur Rinderknech
Novak Djokovic Dismantles Stefanos Tsitsipas
Novak Djokovic sent out a strong warning to his Wimbledon title rivals with an impressive straight-sets victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas, reaching the third round at the All England Club for the 20th time on Wednesday.
The 39-year-old cruised to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win under the Centre Court roof, keeping alive his pursuit of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title and a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon crown. The Serb will next face French 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech on Friday for a place in the second week.
“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,” Djokovic said after being asked if it was a ‘vintage’ performance.
Djokovic is bidding to become the oldest player to win a men’s Grand Slam singles title in the Open era, but he does not believe age is a barrier.
“I try not to take these moments for granted playing on Centre Court of a childhood dream tournament,” he said.
“I feel very privileged to be walking out on the court at age 30 plus and I don’t think it’s a cliche, I actually believe age is just a number, I think it’s true.”
Title favourite Jannik Sinner, who is in the same half of the draw as Djokovic, has shown signs of vulnerability in both his opening matches.
Djokovic, who had struggled at times against Wu Yibing in the first round, was at his clinical best against Tsitsipas, registering his 12th successive win over the Greek, a former world number three now ranked 87th.
He won 88 percent of points behind his first serve, saved all five break points he faced, struck 33 winners, and committed just seven unforced errors. If he can sustain this level, Djokovic will be a serious contender to move past Margaret Court for the all-time Grand Slam singles record and draw level with Roger Federer for the most Wimbledon men’s titles.
The seventh seed secured his 104th Wimbledon match win after recovering from 15-40 down while serving out the match, never allowing Tsitsipas a chance to mount a comeback.
Tsitsipas, meanwhile, looked a shadow of the player who reached two Grand Slam finals—both ending in defeat to Djokovic—and has not made it past the third round of a major since his quarter-final exit at the 2024 French Open against Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic broke serve once in each of the first two sets before showcasing his full repertoire of shots in the third.
His light-hearted mood was evident during an exchange with a ball girl after the second set, when he asked her to cut a tag off his T-shirt before jokingly pretending she had cut his arm.
During his post-match interview, the smiling former world number one also challenged Rory McIlroy, who was watching from the royal box, to a tennis match for the golf star’s Masters green jacket.
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