Running off 13 points in a row, Djokovic seized command and stayed in front the rest against Nieminen.
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“I’m really pleased the way I’m playing”, he said.
“It’s his last Wimbledon, I have had a very nice relationship with Jarkko for many years”, said Djokovic, who will play Australia’s Bernard Tomic in round three.
“I think if I play the right style of tennis, obviously if I’m serving well, feeling good out there, I think I can go close”, said Kyrgios. The start of play at Wimbledon was delayed so the tournament could join in the national minute’s silence.
After his third-round victory at Wimbledon on Friday, the top-ranked defending champion stopped as he usually does to sign autographs for supporters before exiting Centre Court.
Late Friday afternoon, Djokovic was in a much better frame of mind as he sailed into the second week here at Wimbledon.
“I knew what to expect from Johnson, We played each other a couple of times and also practised together, so nothing was new”. The Serbian will be desperate to purge his disappointment from the French Open when he was defeated by Stanislav Wawrinka in the final, in spite of being the best player by far in the tournament. A ball boy collapsed during a match but was reportedly recovering well after treatment.
Cilic will next face John Isner. He was sent to hospital for a precautionary check-up.
An altercation followed as Kyrgios was heard asking the umpire: “Is that a threat?” and “Does it feel good to be up there in that chair? We wish him a speedy recovery”. The ex- world No. 1 Federer will face Aussie Sam Groth, while the two-time major titlist Murray will take on 25th-seeded Italian Andreas Seppi and Berdych will encounter Spaniard Pablo Andujar.
But the 25-year-old admitted the left calf injury he suffered last month in Halle, which forced him to retire in the semifinals, was still a factor during his five-set win over Simone Bolelli in the first round on Monday. She whooped in delight after completing a 6-4 6-1 pummelling of Hungarian Timea Babos.
The difference was writ large when Wawrinka faced his own break point at the start of the second set.
Next up is Bernard Tomic, the world No?26 from Australia. He had been seeded fifth. “Got better before the first match”. People were talking about it and predicting really hard conditions.
Having held serve in a long third game, Djokovic promptly broke the Tomic serve and even at that stage, it looked an awfully long way back for the Australian as a one-set lead quickly became two.
No. 7 seed in the women’s draw Ana Ivanovic was stunned 3-6, 4-6 by qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands. But the 22-year-old needed a medical time-out in the second set after being rattled by dizzy spells caused by the sapping heat on Court 18.
Kevin Anderson will now play defending champion Djokovic after he battled through against Leonardo Mayer, the 14th seed prevailing 6-4 7-6 (8-6) 6-3, firing down 22 aces in the process. I didn’t sleep well yesterday and the day before. “It was tough, so I had to slow things down”. I created a lot of chances.
Tomic will provide a tougher test, although the powerful 27th seed has never beaten Djokovic in the pair’s previous four meetings, which included a Wimbledon quarter-final in 2011.
“It wasn’t as bad as I thought”.
“This gentleman gave me his artificial leg and my signature will make him feel better”, he quipped, before giving his future opponents a warning as to his current form.
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When Djokovic and Wawrinka practised together here a few days before Wimbledon, the Swiss unleashed his trademark one-handed backhand down the line, only for Djokovic to gesture and tell his friend: “I’ve seen enough of those, no more”.
