Day three at Wimbledon features the top seed Novak Djokovic, who takes on Adrian Mannarino in the second match scheduled for Centre Court. The pair have never met before at any level in tennis, but the encounter is set to be intriguing with the Frenchman capable of playing his best tennis on grass. Both defeated Brits in straight sets in the opening round to set up their inaugural meeting.
Djokovic cruises past James Ward
Djokovic started his Wimbledon 2016 campaign in the first match to take place on Centre Court at the championships, as he breezed past Brit James Ward despite a tight second set which required settling within a tie-breaker. The first set was complete domination from the world number one, with Ward only winning a handful of points as he received a first set bagel.
The second set looked to be going in the exact same fashion as Djokovic quickly raced into a 3-0 lead, but the British number five broke back and fought toe-to-toe with the Serb as they headed into a tie-breaker. Ward was never really in the tie-breaker as Djokovic raced away with it, seemingly regaining all the momentum which he previously held.
The win was wrapped up with only more break of serve, as the defending champion secured a 6-0, 7-6 (3), 6-4 victory to progress to the second round. The final two sets were close at times, but he won 28 points more, whilst saving eight out of nine break points he faced.
Mannarino impressively sees-off Edmund in straight sets
Mannarino set up the meeting with the world number one as he impressively defeated Kyle Edmund 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 in a match which lasted just over an hour. Much was expected of the Brit after he reached the quarterfinals at Queens Club, but Mannarino had other ideas, with his consistency just proving too much out on court two.
The Frenchman raced into a 4-1 lead, as he broke twice to stun the British crowd early on. Edmund broke back but was broken in the following game as he lost the opener 6-2 in a surprisingly one-sided affair. The momentum continued for Mannarino, as he broke in the very first game of the second set as he set up the chance to serve for a two-set lead at 5-4. He was being pressurised on his serve, and it told as he failed to deal with it, finding himself at 5-5. The hard work failed however, as he re-established a break advantage in the very next game again, to go on and win the second set 7-5.
Once again, the world number 55 broke serve in the first game of the set, but failed to save the second break point he faced three games later and the third set was level at 2-2. Any hope Edmund had of making a dramatic recovery was squashed, as he broke in the ninth game before going onto to serve the victory out to love.
Head-to-head record
The pair have never met previously in any form of the professional game.
Prediction
The fact that the pair have never met does not give any background to this encounter, but right now Djokovic is the favourite in nearly every match he features in. The world number one has been dominating the tour for the past few years now, aiming to win a third Grand Slam of the year and continue his quest to complete the astonishing feat of winning all the majors in a single season.
He’s at home on any surface, winning back-to-back titles at Wimbledon to go with the first he claimed back in 2011. Nearly everything he does on a tennis court right now is better than anyone else on the planet, and he looked solid throughout his first round match despite moments of frustration when Ward’s level picked up.
All the signs point to another victory for the world number one, but his French opponent is particularly fond of the grass, with Wimbledon being the only Grand Slam where he has progressed into the second week. He can be awkward to opponents as a dominant left-hander, with his consistency often troubling some of the top players in the world.
His serve can be a particularly potent weapon, and it looked in-form against Edmund, as he won 84 percent of points on his first delivery. He threw in 12 aces alongside it, but served up eight double-faults, which put him in troubling situations at times.
To win, Mannarino is going to have to play the best match of his life, and hope Djokovic has an off day whilst still adapting fully to the SW19 courts. His consistency will keep it close at times, and perhaps even win him a set, but it’s tough to see the top seed failing to progress to the last 32. The fact that Djokovic hasn’t lost a set in the first week of a Slam for years, gives little hope to back the upset.
Prediction: Djokovic in straight sets