Novak Djokovic has marched into the third round of the Wimbledon, defeating Adrian Mannarino in straight sets, score reading 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5). However, one needs to applaud the Frenchman, who won hearts at centre court, for his gutsy performance despite exiting the competition.
Both the players looked in good form right from the start, and were having a go at one another, entertaining the viewers with their skills. After the first eight games, it was evenly poised at 4-4, but the world number one stood up to the task when it mattered most, clinching it 6-4.
The second set was completely different affair and the Serbian looked in his groove, playing some wonderful shots from the baseline, and great serves, which helped him take a 4-1 lead. It was just a matter of time for Djokovic to take the set, which he did so despite the Frenchman making a decent comeback. Djokovic clinched it 6-3.
Mannarino had to win the next set if he had any hope of taking the game to the fourth set, and the French did pose some serious questions to Djokovic.
The third set looked tight, with both players tied at 2-2, and Djokovic further increased the lead to 4-3. One thought that Djokovic had the match in the bag, but Mannarino had some other plans, and made the world number one make some errors, with the Frenchman playing some solid tennis. Suddenly, Djokovic also looked shaky as well, and the set was tied at 6-6, leading to a tie-breaker.
But the Serbian held his nerve in the tie-break (7-5) to win the third set to book a place for the third round. However, overall, Djokovic did not have a walk in the park, especially in the third set, where the Serbian was tested to the core by the Frenchman.
