After losing a set in his campaign opener against Alexandre Muller, Novak Djokovic earned a more comprehensive win against Britain’s Dan Evans in the second round. The Serbian secured a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 win to reach the third round at SW19.
Evans had stunned Djokovic in the 2021 Rolex Monte Carlo Masters but the latter made sure there were no hiccups this time around. The seven-time Wimbledon champion wrapped the match in one hour and 47 minutes.
“I think everyone knew that it was going to be a special atmosphere today on the court,” said Djokovic. “Obviously a Brit in Britain is never easy to face. ‘Tricky’ is maybe not a great word, but he’s a good quality player who possesses a lot of talent, a lot of touch. For the grass, where the ball stays very low with his slice, he can be causing a lot of trouble to you if you are not on top of your game, which I think I was, to be honest, from the very beginning.”
Djokovic, who has a 99-12 record at Wimbledon, made it to the third round at the championships for the 19th time, going past Roger Federer’s record.
“It means that I’ve been playing quite a long time,” joked Djokovic, when asked about his new third-round appearance record. “Nineteen times. That’s a great stat. It’s probably almost as much as Sinner and Alcaraz have as years in their life, but I still enjoy it. This sport has given me so much… Wimbledon remains the most special tournament in my heart, the one that I always dreamed of winning when I was a kid, so any history made here is obviously extra special for me.”
The 24-time Slam champion added that everything clicked for him on the court and he was delighted with his complete performance.
“I was preparing well for the match, technically and tactically. I knew what I needed to do, and I executed perfectly,” reflected Djokovic. “Sometimes you have these kinds of days when everything goes your way and everything flows. It’s good to be in the shoes and holding a racquet on a day like this, no question about it.”
Djokovic will face compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic in the next round of the grass Slam.
