Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic on a roll! Record-chasing Serb scripts his 99th win to advance
The Times of India at Wimbledon:
Novak Djokovic
's was a statement performance at Wimbledon on Thursday. Church Road's seven-time champion, going for a historic 25th major title, started by silencing the Centre Court crowd, who were firmly behind the home hope, wildcard entrant Daniel Evans, to claim an emphatic 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 win, his 99th Wimbledon match victory.
After wrapping up the win in one hour and 47-minutes, Djokovic did a few 'pump-it-up' moves just like after his first-round match. Was it the Serbian's newest post-match celebration, or was it sociopolitical messaging?
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Djokovic was nonchalant in his response when he came into press later in the evening, even singing a couple of lines of the song.
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'Don't you know, pump it up, you got to pump it up',' he sang along, saying that it was a ritual with his children Stefan and Tara, who were in his box on Thursday.
Incidentally, Pump It Up (or Pumpaj) is the official slogan of the student-led protests in Serbia that started in November when a concrete canopy collapsed killing fifteen people at a railway station in Novi Sad.
The Serbian superstar has backed the students in the past, notably at Melbourne Park in January.
'It's something between me and my children,' he said of his post-match celebration, wearing a broad smile. 'We have a song, it's called 'Pump It Up'.
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I don't know how many of you guys know that. It's quite an old song. Good rhythm. We're pumping. We love pumping. We pump after every win.' The sixth-seed's near two-hours on the court was a celebration of his tennis.
Djokovic, who had 14 unforced errors and 46 winners in the match, didn't put a foot wrong, saving the two break points he faced in the match, both in the 30-minute third set. The 38-year-old is through to the Wimbledon third round for the 19th time, more than any player in the Open Era.
'If I play like today, I have a very good chance against anybody on the Centre Court of Wimbledon,' he said. 'Game-wise, I'm playing as well as I can, hopefully I can keep it up.'
After the win Djokovic ran into Gael Monfils, who at 38 years and 315 days is the oldest player in the draw, the Serbian is the second oldest. 'Gael smiled at me and said, good day in the office,' Djokovic said.
'At this age, we need those types of days,' Djokovic said. Djokovic, looking for a first major title since the 2023 US Open, struggled with a stomach bug in his first round match and needed medical attention on the court. Next up for the sixth seed, playing for a 100th Wimbledon main draw win, is compatriot the world no. 49 Miomir Kecmanovic.
In another second-round match, eighth seed Iga Swiatek rallied to score a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 win over American Caty McNally.
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