The seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic is through to the third round at the All England Club for the 16th time. Novak played on a high level in the second round and defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in two hours. Djokovic played much better than against Soonwoo Kwon in the opening round, controlling the pace on serve and return and sailing into the last 32. The Serb fired 29 winners and 14 unforced errors and faced only one break point in the encounter’s final game. World no. 1 took 45% of the return points and grabbed five breaks that carried him over the top. Djokovic made a strong start and dropped only four points behind the initial shot in the opening set. Kokkinakis failed to follow that pace and got broken twice from five chances offered to world no. 1. Novak grabbed breaks in games two and six and held at love at 5-1 to wrap up the first part of the match.
Novak Djokovic is through into the Wimbledon third round.
Thanasi raised his level a bit in set number two, but he could not do much against Novak’s 13 winners and three unforced errors. The Serb did not face a break point, and he created six chances on the return. He broke the younger rival in the third game to forge the lead and earned four set points on the return at 5-3. Kokkinakis stayed calm and fended them off before Djokovic clinched the set on his serve in the next one for a 6-1, 6-4 advantage. The Serb did everything right behind the initial shot in the third set, and the pressure was always on the Aussie. Novak secured an early break in the opening game and forged a 4-1 lead with another in game five. Djokovic served for the victory at 5-2 and hit a double fault to face the first break point. Novak saved it with a well-constructed attack and sealed the deal with a service winner to emerge at the top.