The last match of the fourth round session was postponed for today following that epic episode between Rafael Nadal and Gilles Muller. Fighting for the last available spot in the quarterfinals, Novak Djokovic and Adrian Mannarino hit the court earlier today. But, there was no place or space for any trace of an upset as the Serb raced past his opponent to meet Tomas Berdych next. One step at a time seems to be the new philosophy for the former world no. 1.
Twelve times Grand Slam champion, Djokovic has been on a disarrayed state over the past year.
Winning that elusive French Open back in 2016 closed a major chapter of his career and it took a while to press the reset button. Wimbledon comes as the perfect opportunity as the might even regain that world no.1 spot in the process or at least keep a close eye to Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer.
Djokovic taught Mannarino a lesson
To compete against one of the best in the world it takes a lot of resources if not all for an average and Mannarino, will all the praises and good intentions, is somewhere around the average area. Ranked 51st in the world he wasn't able to deliver another major upset as Gilles Muller did yesterday. Djokovic comfortably won the opening act by 6-2 while over the next two he pressed the pedal only when he needed.
One break on each of these sets ensures him a spot in the next round.
In order to come close to that highly-anticipated confrontation with Roger Federer, Novak must get past Tomas Berdych who skidded past Dominic Thiem in the previous round. The young Austrian seems not in the zone yet, especially on a grass court. His best game occurred during the clay court swing.
Novak Djokovic and Berdych have a consistent head to head (27 previous encounters) even though the Serb leads by a wide margin 25-2. It's been more than four years since the Czech player scored a win over Djokovic ( Rome Masters 1000 back in 2013). The other victory occurred at Wimbledon. It was the season when Berdych had his best outcome at a Grand Slam reaching the final of 2010 Wimbledon.
He got past Djokovic in the semis of that tournament.
Wimbledon as a weighting factor for Djokovic
Wimbledon is Djokovic's best chance to turn the table in his favor. Against Berdych, he could find an extra incentive in the possibility of confronting Federer next. Judging by how inconsistent Andy Murray has been lately, the winner of a Federer vs Djokovic semifinal could go easily all the way.
Having won barely two ATP 250 titles this year, the Serb might wanna change that soon. His pay grade is way above Doha and Eastbourne. What better chance than Wimbledon and the possibility of a 13th Grand Slam title under his belt?
