SERVING NOTICE
Novak shows he still holds all the aces
NOVAK DJOKOVIC insists he held all the aces despite suffering a first round scare before blowing away rookie Brit Jack Draper.
The world No.1 and defending champion lost the first set to the 19-year-old on Centre Court.
That simply inspired him only to deliver a serving masterclass to bury the youngster, who had made a mockery of his 254th-placed ranking in the early stages.
After recovering from a few stumbles and falls on a slippery surface, the five time champion came through in relative comfort and he sent out an ominous warning to his rivals by claiming a crucial part of his game is as good as it gets.
He said: “I probably had one of the best serving performances that I can recall on any surface.
“I matched, someone told me, the record I had whether it was earlier this year or last year in Australia, also 25 aces in four sets.
“I could not be more pleased with the rhythm of my serve.
On grass, the quickest surface in our sport, it helps a lot getting a lot of free points on that first serve.
“I thought he was playing well and he was fighting.
“Obviously for him, it was a unique occasion playing for the first time on Wimbledon Centre Court.
“He has done well. He had break chances in the first set to come back into the match.
“He came up with some good serves. I was kind of slipping a few times on those break points and still finding my footing,
“I would say the grass that was quite slippery, quite moist, probably because of the roof.
“But anyway, it was a very good performance. I’m pleased with the second, third and fourth set, the way I played from the back of the court. I started returning better, as well, midway through the second set.”
Draper had the backing of a boisterous home crowd and he’s judged by many as the heir apparent to Andy Murray and British tennis’ brightest hope.
Djokovic insists the teenager still has plenty to learn but has time on his side.
He said: “We had never faced each other. He’s a youngster, 19 years old. He’s tall, he’s strong and he’s got that lefty serve that is very awkward for right-handed players to face, particularly on grass.
“I thought he was behaving nicely on the court.
“I mean, he was backing himself. He was trying his best.
“Obviously I think I raised the quality and the level of my tennis in the second set. I felt like I had things under control.
“But nevertheless, he had a crowd behind him and that made for a really nice atmosphere.
“I think he’s got an allaround game really. A very good flat backhand, also a good forehand.
“Maybe his movement could improve. He probably can and should move a bit better but he’s still young.
“There’s always room for improvement but he’s got a very good base,”
The Serb already has the first two majors of the year safely tucked away. A ninth Australian Open title and a second French Open crown have put him within one of Federer and Rafa Nadal’s all-time men’s record haul of 20 Grand Slam singles titles.
Yet Djokovic confirmed reports that he could have been doing it all as a Brit. Djokovic had the chance to become a British citizen when his career was just kicking off back in 2006. He said: “I do not know who at that time was discussing the potential citizenship for me. “My dad and my mom, they were discussing with people from LTA. To be honest, I did not know. I was also surprised with what I read about that. “It’s interesting information, but there’s not much to say. It was a very long time ago. We did get an offer. “There were discussions, but my parents did not want to move, even if it was a challenge to sustain a career as a tennis player from there.”