Novak Djokovic stepped up his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title as he moved into the Wimbledon third round with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 rout of British wildcard Dan Evans yesterday.
Djokovic needed just one hour and 47 minutes to dispatch Evans with a ruthless display in the second round on Centre Court.
It was Djokovic’s 99th match win at Wimbledon overall, and the 19 third-round appearances put him one ahead of Roger Federer for most by any man in the Open era (since 1968).
It’s hardly the most prestigious record for Djokovic, whose 24 Grand Slam titles — including seven at Wimbledon — are the most by a male player. But he could at least use it to poke fun at his new, and much younger, main rivals.
Djokovic is dreaming of putting an exclamation point on his incredible career by becoming the most successful singles player in tennis history.
The 38-year-old has been tied with Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slam titles since winning his most recent major prize at the 2023 US Open.
And despite losing the last two Wimbledon finals against Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic believes the lawns of south-west London provide his best chance to win that elusive 25th major.
After losing to Sinner in the recent French Open semifinals, Djokovic is in the unusual position of no longer being regarded as the Wimbledon title favourite, having failed to make the title match in his previous three Grand Slam appearances.
Djokovic, who won his 100th tour-level title in May in Geneva, has been dogged by questions about when he will retire since fulfilling his long-held desire for Olympic singles gold in Paris last year.
But he would draw level on a record eight men’s Wimbledon singles titles with Roger Federer if he wins the grass-court event for the first time since 2022, and on this evidence he is in the mood to make history at his favourite tournament.
Evans, 35, had won his only previous meeting with Djokovic on clay in Monte Carlo four years ago and the Serb claimed he was the kind of tricky opponent he would have preferred to avoid.
But Djokovic’s concerns were unfounded as he wore down Evans with his relentless ground-strokes to take the first set.
Djokovic had never lost a Grand Slam match to a player ranked as low as world number 154 Evans and the Serb wasn’t about to make unwanted history.
The second set was barely competitive and the third followed a similar pattern as Djokovic cantered to an efficient victory.
