At Wimbledon 2023 , Novak Djokovic reached yet another milestone ,he defeated Australia’s Jordan Thompson to earn his 350th Grand Slam victory. Despite receiving a rigorous workout from Thompson, the defending champion won 6-3 7-6(4) 7-5 to advance to the third round. Thompson gave him a good workout.
The 36-year-old is one of only two players, along with Roger Federer and Serena Williams, to have amassed 350 victories at the Slams, but he has his sights set on even greater accomplishments.
Playing with his usual clinical accuracy he eventually subdued Thompson who offered up some thing rare at Wimbledon these days – some serve and volley tennis.
It certainly kept Djokovic honest but the second seeded Serb, bidding to win a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon and fifth in a row, always looked in control.
Tiebreak
Thompson, ranked 70, was within two points of levelling the match at the sharp end of the second set but once Djokovic came through the tiebreak with a couple of timely aces thrown in, there was only really likely to be one outcome.
That said, Thompson, given loud backing by the Centre Court crowd desperate to see a contest, refused to slink away. But serving at 5-6 in the third set the Australian could not keep Djokovic at bay and he netted a volley to end the contest.
Djokovic extended his winning streak on grass to 30 matches, with Marin Cilic defeating him in the 2018 Queen’s Club final. However, Djokovic confessed that his latest match posed a tough challenge for him. “He was a bit unlucky in the second set. He had some chances but yeah, he played a great match and deserves a big round of applause for sure,” Djokovic said.
While in Wimbledon Novak Djokovic certainly does not need any help as he aims for a 24th Grand Slam title to match the all-time record of Margaret Court, things are certainly falling his way. The inviting draw entices him, and he skillfully avoids being caught up in the rain delays.
Up next is either Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka, who he famously lost to in the French Open final eight years ago, or Argentina’s 29th seed Tomas Etcheverry.
Wawrinka and Etcheverry will play their delayed second-round match on Thursday after rain delays led to the cancellation of several matches on Wednesday.
