Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic Beats Jordan Thompson to Register His 350th Grand Slam Singles Victory

Novak Djokovic registered a thumping over unseeded Australia’s Jordan Thompson 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 to reach the third round at Wimbledon on Wednesday. With the triumph, Djokovic became only the third player in history to win 350 Grand Slam singles matches.

He joined legendary Roger Federer (369) and Serena Williams (365) on the elusive list, both of whom retired last year. With his current form, Djokovic is expected to get past Federer in the tally soon.

Djokovic started strong in the first set and clinched it quite comfortably 6-3, while Thompson, ranked 70th in the world, gave some fight to the Serbian in the second and third sets. However, it was not enough for him as Djokovic emerged victorious.

Thompson was within two points of levelling the match at the sharp end of the second set but once Djokovic came through the tiebreak with a couple of timely aces thrown in, there was only really likely to be one outcome.

The Australian got massive support from the fans at the Center Court as they were desperate to see a contest.

The 36-year-old Djokovic is targeting an eighth Wimbledon title, which would draw him level with Federer’s men’s record.

He is also chasing a 24th career Grand Slam title, which would equal Margaret Court’s all-time record.

The ace tennis star swept past Pedro Cachin in the first round on Monday on a damp Centre Court surface, jokingly attempting to mop up excess moisture with a towel at one stage.

Earlier, in all, 87 ties were on Wednesday’s menu, but rain again played spoilsport, with the start delayed by 90 minutes.

Eventually, 14 matches were pushed back to Thursday.

Two climate activists interrupted the first-round match between 21st-seed Grigor Dimitrov and Japanese qualifier Sho Shimabukuro at Wimbledon 2023. It was a bizarre scene on Wednesday as two persons entered Court 18 and disrupted a match by scattering orange confetti and puzzle pieces on the grass.

The two, both in their 60s, were removed by security staff.

“Following an incident on Court 18, two individuals have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage and these individuals have now been removed from the grounds,” said a Wimbledon spokesman.

(With Agency Inputs)