“Bit of luck, bit of skill” was Novak Djokovic’s assessment of his 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4) third round win over Arthur Rinderknech. There was a point where it looked like despite Djokovic’s two-set lead, Rinderknech was going to force a decider as the 24-time Grand Slam champion seemed to wilt in the sun. But a fourth-set tiebreak gave Djokovic a glimpse into the fourth round and he grabbed it, taking hold of the match point offered up to him with a diving volley after Rinderknech had slipped.
The match ended with both men lying on the grass of Centre Court. Rinderknech was flat out and face down, until Djokovic walked around the net and roused him. It had been an impressive performance from Rinderknech, who broke Djokovic back-to-back in the third set to interrupt the 39-year-old’s relatively sedentary cruise towards the next round.
The 30-year-old Frenchman has been somewhat of a late bloomer. Rinderknech did not make his grand slam debut until the age of 24, and this was only the third time he had made it as far as the third round. But he had beaten Alexander Zverev on this very court in the first round last year – evidence, as Djokovic pointed out afterwards, that he likes a big occasion. As he ramped up during the match, he used his big serve to limit Djokovic, hitting only one ace in the first set but a high of seven in the third.
Djokovic certainly seemed to fade a bit in the hot Friday afternoon sun, although he reportedly had asked for the earlier slot on Centre Court. It was unclear whether that was because he wanted to test himself in these daytime conditions, which he is more likely to play in as the fortnight goes on, or because he did not want to risk getting cut off by the curfew and having a match extend into a second day.
Earlier this week, he had defended Serena Williams after her first round loss to Maya Joint. “Some great champions, people always expect you to play at your best because they’re used to seeing you dominate the sport for many years,” he said.
It is equally something that could apply to him, and is part of what makes it so intriguing seeing him continue to push on. This is a man who made a Grand Slam final only six months ago. At the same time, when Rinderknech started to ramp up his level, it did not feel unimaginable for him to come back from two sets down. Djokovic’s quarter of the draw looks very open, and he won his first two matches very efficiently from a time perspective. Yet now he is at this age, there will always be question marks about how his body will hold up.
It looked like we were set for a rematch of the French Open third round when João Fonseca got arguably the biggest win of his fledgling career, beating Djokovic 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5. That result ended what had felt like Djokovic’s best chance to get that elusive 25th Grand Slam which he continues to pursue with all the diligence of Captain Ahab looking for his white whale. Carlos Alcaraz was absent through injury, as he is here, whilst Jannik Sinner had been beaten in round two by the Parisian sun with a little help from Juan Manuel Cerúndolo. Fonseca has developed a reputation as tennis’ crown prince, but as Djokovic was preparing to walk out on Centre Court, the 19-year-old lost in straight sets to qualifier and 2023 Wimbledon quarter-finalist Roman Safiullin.
The victory was Djokovic’s 105th in singles at Wimbledon, equalling Roger Federer’s record of all-time wins in men’s singles. When asked by Annabel Croft about the achievement, Djokovic suggested a neat solution to the problem.
“I propose a match up between me and Roger for 106,” he said.
It would undoubtedly be a tantalising prospect for fans but a win over Safiullin, and a berth in the quarter-finals, would be a big enough prize for Djokovic, one suspects.
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Photograph by Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images