Novak Djokovic, the top seed at Wimbledon, defeated Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 to move into the fourth round despite an injury scare.
A third set tumble left him grimacing as he needed treatment for his left shoulder. The No 1 seed was caused further anxiety as he was broken thrice and made 23 unforced errors in a strangely unDjokovic-like performance on Centre Court.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the Frenchman who defeated Jimmy Wang 6-2, 6-2, 7-5, on Monday, will be his next opponent. However, before this clash the former world No 1 will be monitoring his shoulder as much as his opponent's game in the next 48 hours.
Djokovic took a tumble when he reached for a shot at 3-2 up in the third set. At first glance it did not look too serious, but before he had completed his tumble he was already grimacing.
The trainer then treated him as his shoulder was put through a full range of movements and manipulations, as his coach, Boris Becker looked on.
Five minutes later Djokovic resumed playing, he did not display any ill-effects as shortly afterwards he broke Simon to seal the victory in 2 hours and 12 minutes.
"It was a sharp pain when I fell. It was an awkward fall. Luckily there is no damage to the joint but the muscle was sore because of the impact. Now there is two days off and I am going to try and get ready for my next match," said Djokovic.
During the first set, Djokovic was seen prodding the court suspiciously, as if wondering if moisture from the mid-morning shower had somehow found its way on to court. He then broke to go up 4-2 up in the first set.
The Frenchman Simon broke straight back when Djokovic's serve and volley found the net – only to lose his serve again and the set 6-4.
Djokovic appeared to be in control when he broke to go 2-1 up in the second set. However, he was again immediately broken. Djokovic's frustration became evident as he let out a scream. He was broken in the next game and then started talking to himself as the second set slipped away too.
Simon always remained in the game, fighting hard. He broke again at the start of the third set to go 2-0 ahead. However, he could not finish the set off like he struggled earlier. Djokovic regained his composure and prevailed over the Frenchman.
"At important moments I played well although I was up and down through the whole match. It could have gone either way in the third but at the important moment I came up with the right shots," said Djokovic.
