Djokovic marches on
Nishikori pulls out with troublesome calf-injury as Monday’s threeand-a-half hour battle proved to be his undoing
Top seed sees off veteran Jarkko Nieminen to advance to third round along with Russian Maria Sharapova
Defending champion Novak Djokovic reached the Wimbledon third round yesterday with a win over Jarkko Nieminen which brought down the curtain on the Finn’s All England Club career.
Top seed Djokovic, who won 6-4, 6-2, 6-3, will take on Australian 27th seed Bernard Tomic for a place in the last 16 as the Serb continues his bid to win a third Wimbledon and ninth Grand Slam crown. It was Djokovic’s sixth career win in seven meetings against the 33-yearold Nieminen and the two men exchanged a warm embrace at the net once their 92-minute Centre Court duel had ended.
“It was his last Wimbledon so I congratulated him on a great career,” said Djokovic. “He’s been around for many years and he’s one of the nicest guys off the court and a great fighter on it. It was a pleasure to play him.”
Djokovic overcame a break early in the first set, but from then on it was plain sailing for the champion who finished with an impressive 36 winners.
“I was solid throughout. He broke early on, but I regrouped and played some good tennis,” added Djokovic.
Nieminen, whose best performance at the All England Club was a quarter-final run in 2006, had ended the Wimbledon career of 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt in the first round.
After his own curtain call yesterday, he placed a kiss on the Centre Court grass as the fans gave him and the champion a standing ovation.
Milos Raonic almost matched the Wimbledon serving speed record against German veteran Tommy Haas as the Canadian powerhouse moved into the third round. Seventh seed Raonic, a semi-finalist last year on the west London lawns, boomed down one delivery at 145mph, just short of the 148mph missile American Taylor Dent produced five years ago.
Despite his ferocious game he was still dragged into a fourth set by the injury-plagued 37-year-old former world number two who on Monday became the oldest man to win a Wimbledon singles match since Jimmy Connors in 1991.
Haas was completely overpowered for two sets but hit back before Raonic, who creamed down 28 aces, prevailed 6-0 6-2 6-7(5) 7-6(4) on an oven-like Court One.
Kei Nishikori’s Wimbledon campaign ended abruptly when the Japanese fifth seed was forced to pull out with a troublesome calf injury.
“It is same injury. Got better before the first match. I thought it was really going to be OK. But last match in fifth set I was hurting too much,” said the dejected fifth seed who had been due to face Colombian Santiago Giraldo.