Another step has been made by Novak Djokovic on his road to an eighth Wimbledon title.
The sixth seed lived up to expectations in the second round, beating local player Daniel Evans (ATP #154) in straight sets 6–3, 6–2, 6–0.
The match lasted only one hour and 47 minutes, and Novak was in full control from start to finish. His serve was especially strong, helping him keep a perfect rhythm throughout the match.
In the first set, Novak played solidly on his own serve, not giving Evans a single chance to break. He kept the pressure on Evans’ serve and created many opportunities. Even though he missed nine break points, his patience paid off in the eighth game, when he finally broke serve. He then easily held serve to win the set 6–3.
Novak was dominant in the second set. He got an early break and stayed in control, breaking once more to finish the set 6–2.
The third set was one way traffic. Novak played confidently, aggressively, and precisely, giving Evans almost no chance. With three breaks of serve, he wrapped up the set 6–0 and sealed the victory.
“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.”
In the third round, Novak will face fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, ATP no.49.
It will be their fourth meeting, and Novak leads their career H2H 3–0. Their last clash was three years ago, also in the third round at Wimbledon, where Novak won in straight sets. The match is scheduled for Saturday.
