The point has been made
Novak Djokovic left a sliver of doubt after his opening match. Pushed hard by Yibing Wu and made to work harder than he might have expected, the Serb began his Wimbledon campaign with a solid win, but not a wholly convincing one. Against Stefanos Tsitsipas, he slammed the door shut.
A clean 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win. Three sets, no real alarms, and a level of control that felt almost clinical. In his second-round match, the seven-time champion produced exactly the sort of performance that changes the mood around a player: neat, ruthless, authoritative.
Tsitsipas had arrived with a solid first-round win over Hugo Gaston and the ambition of finally testing Djokovic on a major stage. But, as so often in their rivalry, the Greek was soon trapped in a match he never really owned.
Djokovic got on top from the first ball
From the opening games, Djokovic set about doing what he does best: taking the comfort away from the other man. He didn’t need to be flashy. He was precise, measured and brutally clear-headed when it mattered.
Tsitsipas likes time to load up, to dictate with his forehand and step in when he can. Djokovic barely gave him that luxury. The Serb varied his targets, attacked the gaps, kept the backhand under pressure and refused to let him find any sort of rhythm.
The opening set, won 6-3, set the tone quickly. Tsitsipas wasn’t blown away on every point, but he was constantly half a beat behind. Against Djokovic, half a beat is plenty.
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Tsitsipas never found the answer
The second set was supposed to be the Greek response. Instead, it only underlined the gap. Tsitsipas tried to hang in there, serve better and shorten the rallies, but Djokovic was reading everything. Every time the Greek threatened to build a bit of momentum, the Serb shut it down, held firm on serve or produced a return that reset the whole thing.
The 6-4 second set hurt. Not because the scoreline was brutal, but because it felt like Djokovic had every option covered. Tsitsipas was searching for solutions. Djokovic already had the answers.
By the third set, the match had opened up for good. The Greek faded more and more, physically and mentally, while Djokovic kept the pressure on. 6-2. Game over.
33 winners, 7 unforced errors: the old boss had it dialled in
The numbers tell the story of the night: 33 winners, only 7 unforced errors. That is pretty much the statistical definition of Djokovic on a big day. Not always the flashiest, but the one who hits the mark, gives nothing away and piles on the pressure until the other man runs out of ideas.
After a slightly sticky first round, this will be reassuring. At Wimbledon, Djokovic does not need to be at peak level in week one. He needs to build, find his feet, sharpen the serve and make the tournament feel like it still runs through him.
Against Tsitsipas, that is exactly what he did.
The domination over the Greek goes on
The win also extends a rivalry that has long been one-sided. Djokovic now leads Tsitsipas 13-2. The Greek has often had enough to bother him, even to make him think, but rarely enough to bring him down.
The painful memories are still the 2021 Roland Garros final and the 2023 Australian Open final. Two occasions when Tsitsipas could almost see the dream, only for Djokovic to take it back.
At Wimbledon this time, there was barely any suspense at all. Just another reminder of a mismatch that carries real weight.
Rinderknech up next
In the third round, Djokovic will meet Arthur Rinderknech. It will be the first meeting between the two men on the tour. For the Frenchman, it is a huge occasion. For Djokovic, it is another job to handle properly against a player who can lean on his serve and swing freely as a total outsider.
But after what he just did to Tsitsipas, the Serb moves on with renewed confidence. He did not just win. He reset the narrative. He reminded the draw that his name at Wimbledon is never just another name.
Djokovic is into the third round.
And everyone else knows they are still going to have to come and get him.
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