On a slow-burn Wednesday afternoon Djokovic did what he tends to do in these early rounds, easing his way up through the revs, refamiliarising himself with his grass-court movements, the preternatural flex and twang on the baseline, the pitter-patter dashes to the net.
In the process Djokovic eased his way past Jordan Thompson, the world No 70, and into the third round with a fine-margins, always-comfortable 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-5 win. Thompson was game and fearless in his dashes to the net, his running drives, his use of the angles. But he was playing tennis against history here.
This was Djokovic's 41st successive win on this court, achieved by doing just enough at just the right moments, but with the sense, of course, of much deeper gears.
This story is from the July 06, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the July 06, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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