NOVAK MAKES HISTORY
30 Grand Slam wins in a row for deadly Djokovic... but he still looks fallible
Novak Djokovic looked fallible in advancing to the third round yesterday, but won in straight sets anyway. That sums up the task for anyone thinking they can stop him winning a fifth straight Grand Slam title.
The Serbian world No 1 is setting records by the day, and this one was no different on an unhappy 28th birthday for opponent adrian Mannarino, beaten 6-4, 6-3, 7-6.
Djokovic has now won 30 Grand Slam singles matches in a row, a record in the open era, and bettered only by Rod Laver in a 31-match run that started in 1962 and by Don Budge, who won 37 Slam matches in a row from 1937.
‘i have to be very grateful to have the opportunity to make history in my sport,’ Djokovic said. ‘Every record that i’ve managed to achieve in the last couple of years is important and is unique to me.’
Djokovic has not lost a Slam match since Roland Garros last year and has since bagged the Wimbledon 2015 title, the US open, the australian open and the French open, the last two by beating andy Murray in the final.
He is on course to become the first man since Laver in 1969 to hold the first three legs of the calendar Grand Slam and is eyeing a fourth Wimbledon crown and a 13th Slam in total. The greatest player of all time, Roger Federer, has won 17, and the debate rages over whether, or when, Djokovic will deserve that mantle.
Despite errors, he had France’s Mannarino under control from early on, if not quite the start. He allowed the left-hander two break points in the opening game but, as ever, kept steely calm to dig his way out of a hole.
He broke Mannarino in the 10th game of the first set and the second of the second on his way to winning those. Mannarino was not playing badly. in fact some of his drop shots were delicious. ‘ He’s definitely not easy to play against on grass,’ Djokovic said. ‘it was a very good challenge for me.’
Whatever the Frenchman did, Djokovic matched it — and beat it, the shot of the day being a low rasping drive bent around the net post for a winner as he came back from 40-0 down on his serve early in the third set to hold for 1-1.
But he did falter at times. Twice he slipped over, a consequence of his terrier-like dashing over the surface. He doubled-faulted eight times, five times in the third set. He gave Mannarino nine break points, seven in the third set.
if this is nit-picking then it at least offers a glimmer of hope for Murray, the man on form most likely to meet him in the final.
The head- to- head record between the pair in Slam finals reads five wins to Djokovic (four in australia and one in Paris) and two to Murray (the US open in 2012 and Wimbledon in 2013).
Murray has won their only two meetings on grass — that 2013 final, after beating Djokovic in the 2012 olympic semi-finals.
Former Wimbledon finalist Pat Rafter believes Djokovic is on a different level to everyone, Murray included. on Djokovic’s magnificent run, Rafter said: ‘You think there’s no way he’s going to get beaten.’ as he showed against Mannarino, Djokovic really is marvellous, and dominant, but imperfect. Slightly. aLEXaNDER ZvEREv, the 6ft 6in German with a huge game, is part of a promising wave of young gun- slingers and yesterday the 24th seed underlined why with a 6- 3, 6- 4, 6- 2 destruction of Paul-Henri Mathieu to reach the second round. Zverev — at 19 the youngest man since Djokovic in 2006 to crack the top 30 — simply batt battered the Frenchman, who once reached No 12 in the world andan at 34 is still at No 595 in the standings. Zverev has big groundstro groundstrokes, a big serve and a an impressive bloodline,blo given hishi father and brot brother were profession professionals. The co consensus plac places him as th the best y young hope in the game. Rafael Nada Nadal says he will repeat his No 1 juni junior ranking on the main tour and earlier this month Zverev took F Federer’s scalp in reac reaching the Halle open final.fina