Novak Djokovic breezes through Wimbledon second round with straight sets victory over South African veteran Kevin Anderson
- Top seed Novak Djokovic is through to the third round of Wimbledon
- Serbian took a routine straight sets victory over South African Kevin Anderson
- Djokovic was back on top form and roared on by a bustling centre court
Novak Djokovic made quick work of Kevin Anderson to reach the third round at Wimbledon but only after taking a number of tumbles on Centre Court’s increasingly notorious surface.
The morning after Serena Williams and Adrian Mannarino were both forced to retire injured from the tournament after slipping on the wet grass, the defending champion also struggled to keep his footing.
He hit the deck no fewer than four times in the first two sets and at one stage at 3-3 in the opener he gestured angrily following a fall.
Novak Djokovic is through to the third round of Wimbledon after beating Kevin Anderson
Top seed Djokovic lapped up the adoration of a bustling centre court on day three of play
The Serbian took time to get into his stride but asserting himself around the court
Unlike the Williams and Mannarino matches on Tuesday, the roof on Centre Court was open for Djokovic, but that seemed to be of little help to what is becoming a tricky situation for the All England Club.
They were forced to defend the ‘meticulous’ preparation of their courts after Williams’s withdrawal, but the questions will persist for the time being.
Despite the issues around the grass, Djokovic was in excellent form in this rematch of the 2018 final. Anderson reached as high as fifth in the world after that loss, but serious knee injuries have brought him down to 102 and he was outmatched by the 19-time Slam winner.
Veteran star Anderson won three games in the first two sets but was comprehensively beaten
Djokovic roared with every big point as he won the contest inside one hour and 41 minutes
Djokovic broke for 5-3 in the first before closing out to love, and then broke for 4-3 in the second.
A further break at 5-3 gave him the set. By that point he had only made three unforced errors and given up no break points across the match, with no sign of the difficulties he encountered in his opening set against Jack Draper in the first round.
The decisive break of the third came with a forehand winner at 4-3 and Djokovic served out for a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory in an hour and 41 minutes.