Wimbledon, Djokovic wins and the time awaits Sinner

Just over twenty minutes from the end of the day – here at Wimbledon you can’t play beyond 11pm – Novak Djokovic completes his effort by beating Dutchman Tim Van Rijthoven (wild card and world number 104) in four sets and qualifying for the quarter-finals on Tuesday against our Jannik Sinner: 6-2 4-6 6-1 6-2 the score in favor of the former world number 1 in 2 hours and 38 minutes.

Brilliant Dutch

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Djokovic travels at his pace, serves first at 70%, makes very few mistakes and keeps the opponent at a safe distance thanks to the break of the second game, gained at the end of a 12-point game in which the Serbian scores the first ball useful break. In the third game he is the former world number 1 who has to cancel the first two break points, then climbs comfortably on 3-0 and closes the fraction with another break for 6-2. In the seventh game of the second set, however, Djokovic makes the omelette, suffers the break and sends the opponent to serve for the 5-4 forward set. The Dutchman misses two set points, clears four balls from the counter break and then closes with 3 aces in the last 4 points of the game. Van Rijthoven has brilliant tennis, good serve (his 20 aces overall in the match), a good one-handed backhand and very solid and deep shots.

NUMBERS

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Djokovic’s reaction, however, is immediate: 5 games in a row and 6-1, then another break in the opening of the fourth set and a smooth final with another 6-2. For Nole 7 aces, 2 double fouls, 28 winners and 19 free mistakes, very few to instill some hope of success in his rival who still leaves the field with his head held high (20 aces, 41 winners, 53 free and 30 descents to the net) . For Djokovic, this is the 83rd match won at Wimbledon, one less than the 84 scored between 1972 and 1992 by Jimmy Connors. His performance in the four Grand Slam events is perfectly balanced: 82 games won at the Australian Open, 85 at Roland Garros, 83 at Wimbledon and 81 at the United States Open. At Wimbledon, his streak of victories extends to 25: 7 in 2018, 7 in 2019 and 7 in 2021.

CHALLENGE TO SINNER

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On Tuesday, for a place in the semifinals, Djokovic is expected by Jannik Sinner. There is only one precedent between the two and it is the one played in 2021 in Monte Carlo and won by the Serbian 6-4 6-2. Nole will hunt for the 43rd career Grand Slam semifinal (the Serbian is second behind Federer’s 46) and Sinner the first ever. The blue is the sixth Italian ever to reach the quarter-finals in Wimbledon after Matteo Berrettini (finalist in 2021), Nicola Pietrangeli (semifinalist in 1960 and in the quarterfinals in 1955), Uberto De Morpurgo (in the quarterfinals in 1928), Adriano Panatta (1979 quarters) and Davide Sanguinetti (1998 quarters).