Novak Djokovic is safely into the second round at Wimbledon 2021. It is hardly earth shattering news; he is chasing his sixth title here and his third in a row, after all. But those who watched Monday’s opening match on Centre Court may remember the day: it was that day that young Jack Draper presented his credentials on the big stage. 

Djokovic needed just two hours to win 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 but he was still given a stern test by the debutant. 

Draper is Britain’s No.7, a 19-year-old just starting out on his career and, after the way he handled himself, taking a set from the mighty world No.1 and having the temerity to press and challenge until the very last game, he has set British hopes alight. Could he be the man to take the baton from Andy Murray and march towards future success? The crowd certainly thought so and Djokovic was clearly impressed. 

“He definitely deserves a round of applause,” Djokovic said. “He’s a youngster, only 19; I hadn’t seen him play too much prior to Queen’s that he played pretty well – won a couple of matches against high-ranked players. 

“You know, walking on Wimbledon’s Centre Court for the first time, he has done extremely well. He carried himself very maturely on the court, he behaved well, he backed himself, he believed that he could come back and I wish him all the best for the rest of his career.”

Murray had offered some helpful advice over the weekend. He could remember every moment of the excitement and the stress of being the local teenage hope and he was happy to share his knowledge. 

“Just to try to take it all in and don't fear that moment,” he said on Saturday. “Go out, just go for it, enjoy it.” 

The first set was the stuff of dreams for the young man from Sutton. After 11 minutes, he was a break to the good while Djokovic was struggling to find his feet on the lush grass. 

Thanks, Andy. But with all due respect to you, you played your first match out on No.2 Court against George Bastl. And with all due respect to Mr Bastl, he was 30 years old at the time and ranked No.146 in the world. The Swiss’s greatest claim to fame was being the man who ended Pete Sampras’s Wimbledon career in the second round in 2002. 

Draper was taking on the world No.1, the defending champion and the man who is halfway through the Grand Slam (he holds the Australian Open and Roland-Garros titles). He is hoping to make that a “Golden Slam” by hoovering up the titles here and in New York and collecting the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. And, just for good measure, the match was on Centre Court under the roof. This was ever-so-slightly different. 

That said, there are a number of similarities between Murray, twice the champion here, and Draper. Their main draw debut in SW19 came – or in Draper’s case, comes – as only their third tour level event. They both made their Queen’s Club debuts in the lead-up and won a couple of matches. Murray was 18 back in 2005; Draper is 19. Murray was ranked No.312; Draper is No.253. And they both did better than anyone had any right to hope for.

The first set was the stuff of dreams for the young man.

The joy of coming back as the champion is that you know exactly when you will play your opening match – first on Centre Court on the first Monday. The down side to that is that the grass is new and full of sap. Add in the damp weather of the past couple of days and the footing took a little getting used to. 

At one point, the top seed managed to knock himself over with his own forehand, thwacking it with such force that his feet went out from under him (what my grandmother would have described as “too strong for light work”). 

And all the while, Draper was thrilling the crowd with the power of his serve, the precision of his backhand and the armour plating on his nerve. When Djokovic pressed, Draper stuck to his task. When Draper made errors, he took a deep breath and made amends in the very next point. 

Bizarrely, he was playing his best tennis when he was break point down while some of his more impressive serves were on a second delivery. This may not have been the tactic of choice as set out by his coach, Ryan Jones, but it was working. And if it ain’t broke, don’t mend it. 

“When he needs to play his best tennis, he does,” observed Boris Becker from the commentary box. “That’s the sign of a champion”. 

Draper’s problem was the same problem that all comers have faced at the Grand Slams this year: Djokovic is a champion among champions. He knows how to win when he is playing poorly (well, poorly by his standards) and he knows that when he is playing at his best, few can touch him. 

So it was that once the first set had come and gone (and the crowd had given Draper a standing ovation to mark the moment), the world No.1 began to play like a man on a mission. Draper was doing everything he could but Djokovic was not to be stopped. 

When the defending champion broke for a 2-1 lead at the start of the third set, he let out a bloodcurdling roar, the sort he usually reserves for crucial moments in Grand Slam finals. But even champions get nervous in a first round and Draper was making a tense situation even worse by refusing to play like a 19-year-old rookie. When Djokovic got his nose in front for the first time in the match, all the nervous energy and emotion could be released. It was quite the compliment from Djokovic to his young rival. 

He roared again when he broke for a 2-1 lead at the start of the fourth set. Draper was not going quietly but Djokovic still was on his way to the second round. Job done.