A brick wall. Such was the description applied to Novak Djokovic by Thanasi Kokkinakis ahead of their second round encounter at Wimbledon 2022. As it turned out, ‘brick wall’ somewhat understated the insurmountable barrier which stymied the Australian’s path.
The greatest returner in the game stifled Kokkinakis’ big serve with cruel ease, contributing significantly to the 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 scoreline by which Djokovic ultimately commanded the contest in a sliver over two hours.
But there were so many gorgeous touches in the near-faultless performance of the six-time champion that this particular brick wall made for wondrous viewing from all vantage points on Centre Court, save the opposite side of the net.
“I’m really blessed to be here,” said Djokovic, having thanked the crowd for their support. “It was a very high quality performance. I started off very well, very solid from the back of the court and made him work for every point where I managed to get his serve back in play.
“I tried to work him round the court and bring a lot of variety. I’m quite pleased with the way I’ve raised my level of tennis in two days. Hopefully I can keep that trajectory going as the tournament progresses.
Sometimes a single statistic can reveal a detailed story. Peculiar stat of Day 3 at Wimbledon 2022 is that Djokovic and Kokkinakis came into this match having garnered an equal number of singles titles this year – one.
For world No.79 Kokkinakis, his Adelaide crown marked the multiple thrill of his long-awaited maiden ATP title, in his home town to boot, and a merciful breakthrough after relentless years of injury punctured his early promise. For Djokovic, on the other hand, his one trophy in Rome has been a bright sunbeam in a professional year of darkened skies.
As BBC lead commentator Andrew Castle puts it: “Nine months ago, at the US Open, Novak was within one match of holding all four Grand Slams at once. Now he’s lost the world No.1 spot and it’s all about Rafa Nadal winning Australia and yet another Roland-Garros. Nothing will irritate Novak more than that. Don’t for a moment think these things don’t matter, because they really do.”
Even now, it’s not as if the challenges created by Djokovic’s stance on the COVID vaccine have gone away. At present, entry into the United States is not allowed for the unvaccinated, thereby precluding his participation in the US Open. It’s even possible that his next Grand Slam after The Championships will be Roland-Garros.
That leaves an awful lot riding on Wimbledon 2022 for Djokovic. To be clear: despite his troubled circumstances he remains favourite for another successful defence of his crown here. Yet even if he lifts the Gentlemen’s Trophy for the fourth successive time, his ranking will still tumble to No.7 as a result of the ATP decision to withhold points this Fortnight (which Djokovic wholeheartedly supports).
Monday’s opening round was his first competitive match on grass in 2022, and indeed his first of any kind in almost four weeks. Facing Soonwoo Kwon that afternoon, he looked a tad rusty, trailing by an early break in the first set and losing the second. Kokkinakis might have prospered against that version of the No.1 seed. But two days on, Djokovic was a changed man.
When Djokovic brings his A-game to grass, barely anyone can touch him, as Kokkinakis learned firsthand. Sometimes a player can raise their game against legendary opposition – yes, Harmony Tan, that means you. But Djokovic granted Kokkinakis scant chances, and it was only occasionally that the Australian’s forehand weapon could do any damage.
The hugely popular Kokkinakis has known so much injury misery that he deserved more from his Centre Court debut. At 26, he had faced Djokovic just once before, in a straight sets defeat at Roland-Garros in 2015.
The seven years since delivered a litany of shoulder surgeries, pectoral problems, groin issues, knee niggles and elbow grumbles for Kokkinakis – all this after he had already endured stress fractures in his back as a teenager.
Small wonder that he only re-entered the top 100 in February this year for the first time in six years. That achievement coincided with his fabulous title grab at the Australian Open doubles - as a wild card ranked 434th, alongside his old mucker Nick Kyrgios (a pairing who captured the junior title hereabouts in 2013). Happily, they are renewing their charisma-packed partnership in the doubles this Fortnight.
But in the singles, Kokkinakis went the way of every opponent Djokovic has faced here in the 1,812 days since Tomas Berdych dismissed the Serb in the 2017 quarter-finals. The brick wall called Novak Djokovic remains dauntingly intact at Wimbledon 2022.
Afterwards Djokovic raised hopes that he might join his fellow members of the ‘Big Four’ in a unique European line-up at the Laver Cup this year, now that Andy Murray is confirmed.
“My agent has communication with the Laver Cup team. We have an agreement that there will be a decision after Wimbledon," he said. "Laver Cup is the only competition where you can have all the big rivals joining in the same team.
"The O2 Arena is familiar venue for me and for us players, So, of course, it would be a pleasure to play there again. I think that regardless if I play or not, it's going to be a stunning event with full stands, no doubt.”
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