When Kevin Anderson meets Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, it always ends the same.
And so it proved again on Centre Court on Wednesday as Djokovic produced a comfortable 6-3 6-3 6-3 victory.
The pattern of each set was virtually the same – both players relatively evenly matched before Djokovic turned the screw on an Anderson service game, duly broke and then rounded off the set.
Djokovic was all smiles in the aftermath in a repeat of the 2018 final as he made just six unforced errors during the match, afterwards calling it a “near flawless performance”.
The world No1 said: “Kevin is a terrific player and very dangerous on fast courts. Obviously, a straight-sets victory today but still only one break each set. I thought I held my serve really well. It’s never easy to play an opponent like that.”
Arguably, Djokovic’s biggest obstacle was the grass surface, the 19-time Grand Slam again slipping on a few occasions as he did in his opener against Jack Draper, remonstrating audibly with the turf in the process.
Afterwards, he said: “I don’t recall falling this much in the first two rounds at Wimbledon.”
There was a nasty fall for Nick Kyrgios too – in his case on No1 Court – on the resumption of his match with Ugo Humbert, which was evenly poised at 3-3 in the final set.
Kygrios’ left foot slipped with Humbert serving at 6-6, leading to his knee buckling underneath him and the Australian letting out a cry of pain. But he recovered to break for an 8-7 lead, and subsequently served it out for a place in the second round.
Prior to the match, Kyrgios, who habitually likes to drink in the Dog & Fox pub in Wimbledon during the tournament fortnight, said he wanted the match over and done with quickly so he could return to the players’ Westminster hotel bubble for a beer.
There was briefly a danger the contest could drag on past a 15th game in the deciding set, however, when Kyrgios faced two breaks points but he saved them before converting the win in arguably the most highly anticipated first-round match in the men’s draw.
