3 weeks ago
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It was on the fourth deuce in the eighth game of the opening set when a 38-year-old man flew through the air and convinced everyone on Centre Court they had surely gone back in time.
Novak Djokovic has a way, even in the glow of his fading light, of making you wonder whether time really does catch up with all of us eventually.
At the end of a scintillating rally of drop shots, lobs, smashes and volleys, his friend and fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic raced towards the net and poked a forehand down the line, certain the point was his. Djokovic leapt to his left, stuck out a hand in mid-air and sent the ball beyond his opponent with the back of his racquet.
Djokovic sat there on the grass, almost in a trance, as the Centre Court crowd rose to its feet to applaud in disbelief as they have so many times over the years.
‘It was kind of like an ecstasy in that moment,’ said Djokovic. ‘I was pumped for that one. I can’t wait to see the highlights. Obviously, I’m not diving as much on the courts so these unique, rare moments are really something you cherish. If you win a point like this in an important moment it is even better.’
Djokovic went on to break Kecmanovic’s serve and, it seemed, his spirit. Kecmanovic won just four further games as Djokovic wrapped up the win 6-3, 6-0, 6-4.
Novak Djokovic claimed his 100th Wimbledon victory with a dominant 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 win
The veteran thrashed fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic to reach the fourth round
Djokovic has a way of making you wonder whether time really does catch up with all of us
What a way to bring up the 100th Wimbledon victory of your career.
Before the tournament began, Djokovic was asked whether this run at Wimbledon might be his last dance across this grass, a surface on which he’s triumphed seven times.
On this showing, surely not. He said he wants to play for years to come and when you still move like this around the court, why on earth would you stop. Not when an eighth Wimbledon title and 25th Grand Slam is edging ever closer.
He faces Alex de Minaur in the fourth round, who he was due to play in the quarter-final last year only to injure himself in the previous round and withdraw.
Djokovic brought out all the old moves. He sent a fizzing drop shot over the net, that stopped dead in its tracks, to secure the second set to love, the 51st bagel of his Grand Slam career. No one has more. He hit 60 winners and 16 aces and ran further than an opponent 13 years his junior.
And yet after all his heroics, it was his seven-year-old daughter Tara who stole the show. Djokovic celebrated the win by pumping his fists in multiple directions as he has all tournament before explaining it was in tribute to a song his daughter likes. Tara then showed off her moves to the crowd.
Djokovic has reached the last six finals, losing the last two to Carlos Alcaraz, and you would be a brave soul to bet against him getting to another. He’s reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and French Open already this year.
If he is to do so, he will likely need to get past Jannik Sinner in the semi-final, something he was unable to do at Roland Garros.
Djokovic could face World No1 Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of Wimbledon
The world No1 reached the fourth round yesterday with a straight sets win over Pedro Martinez.
If you are to stand any chance of beating Sinner, it helps if you have the use of both shoulders.
The Spanish world No52 was never likely to cause Sinner too many concerns but an injury to his shoulder, one that required treatment over two medical timeouts, meant he served so slowly, some first serves as slow as 76mph, that the Sinner almost had time to retie his shoelaces before thundering back his returns.
‘We all saw was struggling with the shoulder,’ said Sinner. ‘It was for sure easier to return his serve.’
And so Sinner breezed through yet another match on the Wimbledon grass, this time 6-1, 6-3, 6-1, is yet to drop a set, yet to have his serve broken and has conceded just 17 games across his three victories, fewer than any top seed here after three matches in Open Era history. Grigor Dimitrov, the 19th seed, awaits in the fourth round.
Bjorn Borg’s Grand Slam record of dropping just 32 games en route to his 1978 French Open title is in serious danger. That is, of course, unless Djokovic gets to him first.
