Djokovic far from happy

NOVAK Djokovic wore an irritated look as he joined the Wimbledon quarter-final line-up a day later than planned.

The Serbian set up a quarter-final against Tomas Berdych with a 6-2 7-6 (7/5) 6-4 victory against French left-hander Adrian Mannarino.

Against an opponent who landed a £7,000 fine earlier in the tournament for petulantly barging a ball boy, Djokovic did what was required without looking particularly like a champion in waiting.

Djokovic’s sullen mood could be attributed to several factors, not least of which was his frustration at being made to wait until yesterday to get the match under way.

Gilles Muller’s epic Court One win over Rafael Nadal, which finished in fading light at 8.32pm on Monday, meant there was no time for Djokovic and Mannarino to begin there before nightfall, while a move to Centre Court was ruled out by tournament chiefs.

It is believed Djokovic was far from happy at being made to wait around until late evening without clarity about whether the contest would begin. And once it did start at midday, under the Centre Court roof as rain fell outside, Djokovic was soon riled by the state of the grass.

The three-time former champion was particularly agitated about the chewed-up patches around the baseline, and midway through the third set he sought treatment for what looked to be an upper arm or shoulder problem.

Despite the slight injury worry, he brought home the win comfortably enough, serving out to clinch a clash tomorrow with Czech ace Berdych, a step closer to a possible semi-final against third seed Roger Federer on Friday.

Johanna Konta