NOVAK Djokovic continues to etch his name into the tennis history books, securing his 19th trip to Wimbledon’s third round, a new Open Era record for men.
His dominant 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 victory over Dan Evans on Centre Court on Thursday (Friday, July 4, 2025, PH time) marked his 99th match win at the prestigious tournament, pushing him past Roger Federer’s previous record of 18 third-round appearances.
While this particular milestone may not carry the same weight as his unprecedented 24 Grand Slam titles — including seven at Wimbledon — it offered the 38-year-old an opportunity for some playful banter with the sport’s rising stars.
Djokovic quipped, “Nineteen times, that’s a great stat. That’s probably almost as much as Sinner and Alcaraz have years in their lives.”
He was, of course, exaggerating slightly, as Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated Djokovic in the last two Wimbledon finals, is 22, and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner is 23.
The burgeoning rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz, highlighted by their recent five-set thriller at the French Open, signals a new era in men’s tennis, following the retirements of Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Yet, Djokovic, the last active member of the “Big Three,” remains singularly focused on adding more Grand Slam trophies to his collection.
He has little time for reflection, as he candidly admitted, “I don’t pause to reflect, to be honest. I don’t have time. I would like to. But I think that’s going to come probably when I set the racket aside and then sip margarita on the beach with Federer and Nadal and just reflect on our rivalry
and everything.”
He later mused about his drink of choice, admitting he’d “never had a margarita in my life” but thought it “sounds good.”
Against Evans, Djokovic demonstrated his championship pedigree. Despite failing to convert his first nine break points in the opening set, he broke through for a 5-3 lead and then converted five of his next six break opportunities.
“You have these kinds of days where everything goes your way,” Djokovic remarked, having faced only one break point himself, in the
final game.
Elsewhere at Wimbledon, the top women’s seeds largely avoided the upsets that plagued the early rounds. Seventh-seeded Mirra Andreeva and 10th-seeded Emma Navarro both advanced in straight sets.
Former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, seeded eighth, mounted a comeback from a set down to win, while defending champion Barbora Krejcikova and 2022 winner Elena Rybakina also secured victories.
In the men’s draw, veteran players like Grigor Dimitrov, Jan-Lennard Struff, and Marin Cilic joined Djokovic in the third round, with Cilic notably upsetting fourth-seeded Jack Draper.
In the late match on Centre Court, Sinner posted a 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Aleksandar Vukic. / FROM THE WIRES