Djokovic Beats Tsitsipas in Straight Sets as Wimbledon Title Charge Gathers Steam
Djokovic cruised past No. 87 Tsitsipas in under two hours, saying age isn’t slowing him as he chases Margaret Court’s Grand Slam record and Federer’s 8 Wimbledon titles.
39-Year-Old Djokovic sends Wimbledon warning with straight-sets win over Tsitsipas...
Novak Djokovic rolled back the years to dispatch Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets and move into the Wimbledon third round for a 20th time on Wednesday, signaling he’s a serious threat for the title again.
The 39-year-old cruised 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 with the Centre Court roof closed, keeping his push for a record 25th Grand Slam and an eighth Wimbledon crown, which would tie Roger Federer’s mark, very much alive.
Djokovic now meets French No. 25 seed Arthur Rinderknech on Friday with a spot in the second week on the line.
“I like the terminology 'vintage', it brings back the best days and you feel very satisfied and joyful on the court when you're playing this way,” said Djokovic after being asked if it was a “vintage” performance.
Djokovic is chasing a piece of history as he tries to become the oldest man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title, though he says age isn’t slowing him down.
“I try not to take these moments for granted playing on Centre Court of a childhood dream tournament,” he said.
“I feel very privileged to be walking out on the court at age 30 plus and I don't think it's a cliche, I actually believe age is just a number, I think it's true.”
Top seed Jannik Sinner, who’s in Djokovic’s half of the draw, has looked shaky in his first two matches.
Djokovic had some tough moments against Wu Yibing in round one, but he was ruthless against Tsitsipas, beating the former world No. 3 for the 12th time in a row. Tsitsipas has now slipped to No. 87 in the ATP rankings.
Djokovic was dominant on serve, winning 88% of first-serve points, fending off all five break points, firing 33 winners and committing only seven unforced errors.
If Djokovic keeps playing like that, he’ll be a genuine threat to break Margaret Court’s all-time Grand Slam singles record and match Roger Federer’s eight men’s Wimbledon titles.
A Centre Court masterclass ✨
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2026
Novak Djokovic advances to his 20th Wimbledon third round 😮💨#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/U1khfzdPEm
The seventh seed sealed his 104th Wimbledon victory after saving 15-40 on serve, shutting down any chance of a Tsitsipas rally.
Tsitsipas is a long way from the player who made two Grand Slam finals, both ending in defeats to Djokovic. He hasn’t reached the third round of a major since his 2024 French Open quarter-final loss to Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic took one break in each of the opening two sets, then pulled out his full arsenal to run away with the third.
There's a reason they call him the Djoker 😂#Wimbledon | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/zLRy1yttve
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2026
His light-hearted mood showed after the second set when he asked a ball-girl to snip a tag off his shirt, then playfully acted like she’d cut his arm instead.
Speaking after the match, a beaming Djokovic, former world No. 1, even called out Rory McIlroy, who was in the royal box, and challenged the golf star to a tennis match for his Masters green jacket.
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