Djokovic posts 350th Grand Slam win at Wimbledon

Another day, another milestone reached for Novak Djokovic as he racked up Grand Slam victory number 350 by dispatching Australia’s Jordan Thompson at Wimbledon yesterday.
The defending champion was given a thorough workout by Thompson but always looked in control at the crucial moments as he won 6-3 7-6(4) 7-5 to move into the third round.
He joins Roger Federer and Serena Williams as the only players to have reached 350 wins at the Slams, but the 36-year-old has his eyes firmly fixed on higher goals.
Playing with his usual clinical accuracy he eventually subdued Thompson who offered up some thing rare at Wimbledon these days -- some serve and volley tennis.
It certainly kept Djokovic honest but the second seeded Serb, bidding to win a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon and fifth in a row, always looked in control.
Thompson, ranked 70, was within two points of levelling the match at the sharp end of the second set but once Djokovic came through the tiebreak with a couple of timely aces thrown in, there was only really likely to be one outcome.
That said, Thompson, given loud backing by the Centre Court crowd desperate to see a contest, refused to slink away.
But serving at 5-6 in the third set the Australian could not keep Djokovic at bay and he netted a volley to end the contest.
Djokovic extended his winning streak on grass to 30 matches, with his last defeat coming against Marin Cilic in the 2018 Queen’s Club final, but admitted he was pushed hard.
“He was a bit unlucky in the second set. He had some chances but yeah, he played a great match and deserves a big round of applause for sure,” Djokovic said.
While Djokovic certainly does not need any help as he aims for a 24th Grand Slam title to match the all-time record of Margaret Court, things are certainly falling his way. He has avoided being snagged by the rain delays and the draw looks inviting.
Up next is either Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka, who he famously lost to in the French Open final eight years ago, or Argentina’s 29th seed Tomas Etcheverry.
Wawrinka and Etcheverry will play their delayed second-round match today after it was one of several matches cancelled because of rain delays yesterday.
Meanwhile Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas survived a thrilling five-set battle against Dominic Thiem yesterday to book a blockbuster second-round clash against two-time champion Andy Murray.
While Tsitsipas was pushed to the brink in a gruelling first-round tie lasting almost four hours, former world number one Murray is well rested after crushing Ryan Peniston in his tournament opener on Tuesday.
Tsitsipas held his nerve in a final set tie-break to secure a 3-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (10/8) victory.
“For a second I thought we were doing the repeat of Isner versus Mahut,” Tsitsipas said in reference to the longest match in history, played at Wimbledon in 2010.
“It felt forever. Obviously I’m super happy to win against someone who has brought the best out of me every time we have played.”
Beaten by Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final earlier this year before a last-eight exit at the French Open, Tsitsipas is aiming to make his first deep run at Wimbledon.
Tsitsipas reached the French Open final two years ago, making him the only Greek man to appear in a Grand Slam title match.
Earlier Daniil Medvedev quelled the challenge of wildcard Arthur Fery and Marta Kostyuk fought back to upset Maria Sakkari and storm into the Wimbledon second round when two matches were disrupted by protesters.
Women’s top seed Iga Swiatek outclassed Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-2 6-0 and Daria Kasatkina thumped Jodie Burrage 6-0 6-2 to reach the third round before organisers worked to clear the backlog of first-round matches.
The British crowd was far kinder to Medvedev who returned to Wimbledon after the lifting of last year’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players, saying after his 7-5 6-4 6-3 victory over Briton Fery that he did not expect the warm reception.
“I was pretty nervous, I didn’t get to play yesterday so I’m really happy to be back,” Medvedev said.
“Thank you for the nice welcome, especially against Arthur, a British guy. It was amazing as I didn’t know what reception I would get and it was unbelievable.
Earlier, Kostyuk battled from a set down and overcame three rain interruptions to beat eighth seed Sakkari 0-6 7-5 6-2.
She became only the third women’s player to beat a top-10 seed at Wimbledon in the Open Era after losing the first set 6-0.
American world number 10 Frances Tiafoe saw off China’s Wimbledon debutant Wu Yibing 7-6(4) 6-3 6-4 before compatriot Taylor Fritz completed a 6-4 2-6 4-6 7-5 6-3 win over Yannick Hanfmann.