That’s that from me. James Riach will be with you for Maria Sharapova v Britain’s Johanna Konta shortly, while if you want an overview of everything going down, then join Jacob Steinberg here.
Well, a straight sets victory didn’t look on at all in the first set, but Djokovic gradually played his way back into not just the match but dominance, doing just enough to win and making sure he took the crucial points when he needed to. If he can beat perhaps the toughest opponent he could’ve faced in the first round, in straight sets, while not really playing particularly well...let’s just say it doesn’t bode well for absolutely everyone else in the draw.
Djokovic beats Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
3rd set: Djokovic 6-4 Kohlschreiber* (* denotes server)
Kohlschreiber serves to stay in the match, and begins with a double-fault, but redeems himself with a terrific inside-out forehand that flies past Djokovic, then a brilliant ace to nose ahead. However, a few points later Djokovic sets up match point as Kohlschreiber nets a forehand...and takes it as another forehand goes wide on the right hand side.
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3rd set: Djokovic* 5-4 Kohlschreiber (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets
Ooof. The most fortunate of net cord shots from Djokovic, the ball not so much clipping it as smacking head-on into it, then somehow somersaulting over the net and into the opposite court. He holds to love, though, closing out with a smashing ace.
3rd set: Djokovic 4-4 Kohlschreiber* (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets
Kohlschreiber confidently challenges a serve of his that was called out, and Hawkeye reveals about a millimetre of the ball clipped the line. Laser vision this lad, clearly. Those magic mincers come in handy for the rest of the game, as he holds off a break point to hold serve, forcing Djokovic to put a low backhand drop-shot into the net.
3rd set: Djokovic* 4-3 Kohlschreiber (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets
Djokovic noses ahead with a most solid hold, rebounding the ball back at Kohlschreiber like he hitting the thing against the garage wall. Meanwhile, they’re still calling that inclined bit of grass ‘Henman Hill’, despite the man in question being a) retired for nearly a decade and b) not much good in the first place.
3rd set: Djokovic 3-3 Kohlschreiber* (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets
A zipping cross-court backhand disappears past Kohlschreiber, but he manages to back up the break with a hold to 15, getting the best of some to-and-fro rallies as Djokovic nets the crucial point. All square again.
3rd set: Djokovic* 3-2 Kohlschreiber (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets
Well then. A netted drop-shot and a double-fault and it’s 0-40 on the Djokovic serve. The first break point is saved with a forehand pass, the second via a Kohlschreiber forehand into the tramlines...but the fourth is taken, a long rally ending as Djokovic puts a forehand into the net. And just like that, the break is gone.
3rd set: Djokovic 3-1 Kohlschreiber* (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets
Great point, as Kohlschreiber absolutely frames a shot that luckily for him lands in, but then capitalises on his fortune by pulling Djokovic all over the shop and sticking the ball into the empty court. He then drops one just over the net which Djokovic brilliantly chases down, but saves a break point after forcing Djokovic to put a backhand long. Djokovic then mixes fortune with class, his return flicking the net which keeps it out of the tramlines, then playing a superb backhand drop-shot to set up another break point. And he takes it this time, challenging a call right on the baseline that is overturned in his favour, and he takes the break.
3rd set: Djokovic* 2-1 Kohlschreiber (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets
One racket required in that game, with Djokovic sashaying to it with the utmost ease.
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3rd set: Djokovic 1-1 Kohlschreiber* (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets
The BBC cameraman offer their first shot this tournament of an attractive women sipping on Pimms. That out of the way, Djokovic plays a preposterous return, flat and down the line and past Kohlscreiber before he can even flinch. The German holds though, closing out the game by tirelessly chasing down a delicate Djokovic drop-shot that he himself had tirelessly chased down.
3rd set: Djokovic* 1-0 Kohlschreiber (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets
And Djokovic takes the first game with little fuss, bother or incident. He looks like a different player now from the one that was flapping rather in the middle of the first set.
Djokovic wins the second set 6-4
2nd set: Djokovic 6-4 Kohlschreiber* (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets
The point of the game by some distance ends when Djokovic plays a delicious lob on the run, looping the ball over Kohlschreiber who can only flap it over his shoulder on the run, and into the net. And then Djokovic plays the shot of the match, somehow firstly getting to a drive to the backhand corner, then hitting it, then nailing the shot down the line for a magnificent winner. Absurd tennis. He then takes the second set with an utterly brilliant inside-out backhand, if you can credit such a thing, that disappears over the net and lands on the line.
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2nd set: Djokovic* 5-4 Kohlschreiber (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 1-0 in sets
Djokovic rattles through another hold, this one to 15 and closing it out with a perfectly-placed serve that Kohlscreiber can only loop into the net.
2nd set: Djokovic 4-4 Kohlschreiber* (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 1-0 in sets
Terrific point by Kohlschreiber, a great wide serve sending Djokovic way yonder to his forehand side, then as he’s running back he can’t change direction to deal with a marvellous backhand down the line. After a game in which both men mix some good shots with some dicey errors, Kohlscreiber holds.
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2nd set: Djokovic* 4-3 Kohlschreiber (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 1-0 in sets
Brilliance from Djokovic, firstly with a big ace, then coming to the net and changing direction at pace, just in time to hit a beautiful backhand slice volley for a winner. Kohlschreiber wins a point with a terrific backhand of his own, but Djokovic holds after the German nets. He’s looking pretty good now.
2nd set: Djokovic 3-3 Kohlschreiber* (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 1-0 in sets
“Neeeeeeiiiinnnnn!’ exclaims Kohlscreiber as he nets a high backhand from the baseline. He follows it with a ripper of a serve down the middle to win a point and presumably make him feel a bit better, but then puts a running backhand down the line about a yard long. However, the fist pump at the end of the game tells you he holds and draws level in the set.
2nd set: Djokovic* 3-2 Kohlschreiber (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 1-0 in sets
A man who looks like footballer Rickie Lambert has just walked past my desk. I assume it’s not him - he should be somewhere looking for a new club. And in the time it’s taken me to notice this, think about writing it down then actually write it down, Djokovic has held serve and taken a small snack from a tupperware box. No messing about here.
Of *course* the little Wimbledon bird has a Twitter feed. The imminent end of the world really cannot come soon enough imo.
— Dave Tickner (@tickerscricket) June 29, 2015
2nd set: Djokovic 2-2 Kohlschreiber* (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 1-0 in sets
Backhands ahoy as these two trade shots from the baseline, and excellent shots they are too. Still, Kohlschreiber holds this one in no time - they’re rattling through them in this second set.
2nd set: Djokovic* 2-1 Kohlschreiber (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 1-0 in sets
The bird is still out there, and the commentators are endlessly amused by the whole affair. It’s almost as if they’re not satisfied with watching the best tennis player in the world out there. Said best in the world holds to love, by the way.
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2nd set: Djokovic 1-1 Kohlschreiber* (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 1-0 in sets
Well that was an even more straightforward hold, Kohlscreiber throwing in his first ace to win a game in which the Djokovic racket was hardly troubled.
2nd set: Djokovic* 1-0 Kohlschreiber (* denotes server) - Djokovic leads 1-0 in sets
Simply fuss free, despite some misshapes in the first set Djokovic shows he’s in a different class in that game with a simple hold. Not bad for a monday morning. Or early afternoon.
Djokovic wins the first set 6-4
1st set: Djokovic 6-4 Kohlschreiber* (* denotes server)
Well, Djokovic looked much better in that game. Kohlschreiber double-faults twice, between which the world No.1 beautifully constructs a point to set up a couple of set points. And Kohlscreiber nets, and just like that Djokovic, despite playing unevenly for the majority of the set, is ahead.
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1st set: Djokovic* 5-4 Kohlschreiber (* denotes server)
Even in a game that he holds, Djokovic’s judgment is a little off - he leaves a gentle, floated forehand in a point he had completely under control, thinking it was going out only to see it clip the baseline. Still, he closes it out with a decisive backhand volley at the net. You’d think that if Kohlscreiber is going to win this, he’ll have to do it in straight sets - the longer Djokovic goes on and the rust washes away, the better he’ll get.
1st set: Djokovic 4-4 Kohlschreiber* (* denotes server)
Djokovic hasn’t quite got those deep shots working yet. He puts another, this time from the backhand side aimed at Kohlscreiber’s toes, long. The German holds without too much fuss, and ever since waking up after the second game, he’s looked very good indeed.
1st set: Djokovic* 4-3 Kohlschreiber (* denotes server)
Hmmm. The most basic of unforced errors from Djokovic, a looped shot from Kohlschreiber giving him all the time in the world to nail it either way past his opponent, but he inexplicably sticks it into the tramlines. That sets up another break point or two for Kohlscreiber, the first he puts about an inch wide, the second he nets from a kick serve down the middle. Then there’s another silly unforced error from Djokovic, putting this one long, and he certainly does look a little rusty. Still, he manages to come back and hold with some spicy serves, but, y’know - game on.
1st set: Djokovic 3-3 Kohlschreiber* (* denotes server)
The bird - tentatively identified by the telly commentators as a blue tit - is still knocking around. It watches the players exchange some colossal forehands, before Djokovic sets up a break point with a woof of a cross-court return. A big serve gets Kohlschreiber out of trouble, Djokovic challenges a call on the baseline that is out by a measurement so small that scientists have not yet discovered it, and the crowd have terrific fun with a top-edged Djokovic return that sails out of Centre Court. Kohlscreiber secures the hold with another whopper of a serve, down the middle.
1st set: Djokovic* 3-2 Kohlschreiber (* denotes server)
That’s more like it from Djokovic, a quite brilliant Becker-esque low volley being the highlight. Did Becker tell him to do that from the stands? Well, no, obviously not, but - narrative!
1st set: Djokovic 2-2 Kohlschreiber* (* denotes server)
There’s that tasty backhand again from Kohlscreiber, and it sets him up nicely in a game that he holds to 15 to bring us back to serve. That wee bird is flitting around again. Watch out for that little fella on a montage near you soon.
1st set: Djokovic* 2-1 Kohlschreiber (* denotes server)
Now then. Djokovic challenges a call on a return that just clips the line, and Kohlscreiber scoots into a 0-30 lead, which turns into 15-40 with a careless long forehand by Djokovic. However, a brace of big serves get the Serb back on the straight and narrow...before a couple of terrific backhands down the line from Kohlschreiber give him an immediate break back! Could be here for a while, in this one.
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1st set: Djokovic 2-0 Kohlschreiber* (* denotes server)
A couple of shots deeper than a 3am student talk about metaphysics and life and stuff force Kohlschreiber to stick the thing into the net, and suddenly it’s 0-40. However, he pulls a trio of splendid points out of the bag to save matters and bring it back to deuce...but then goes and spoils it all by putting a backhand wide and that’s the earliest possible break for the top dog.
1st set: Djokovic* 1-0 Kohlschreiber (* denotes server)
Amusing scenes as a small bird settles on the court. Kohlschreiber and then a ball-boy attempt to usher it from harm’s way, which they do in time for Djokovic to hold to 30, the two points he lost being a backhand long and another into the tramlines.
And we’re away. Kohlschreiber won the toss and politely allowed Djokovic to serve first.
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The players are on court, and are knocking up, if you can imagine such a thing.
Incidentally, if you want to follow the rest of goings on at Wimbo Wimby Wimbers, join Jacob Steinberg for all that business over here.
Here’s some pre-match listening, a recommendation from my buddy Andrew. Say thank you to Andrew, everyone. Sylvan Esso - they’re good.
And here’s an old favourite - ‘8pt Agenda’ by the Herbaliser. I found this one all on my own.
If reading is too much for you, here’s Novak talking about the Becker/communication/cheating snafu...
Preamble
If anyone has the right to be confident - arrogant, even - then it’s Novak Djokovic. He has, after all, won eight Grand Slams, and has been the world’s No.1 player for the last four years, merrily slaying most in his path along the way. However, he hasn’t played a warm-up tournament for this edition of Wimbledon, his last competitive tennis being when Stan Wawrinka pulled down his Uniqlo pants in the French Open final a few weeks ago. Will that make a difference? Will a rest be as good as prep for Djokovic?
He has also been forced to deny accusations that he’s a big filthy cheating cheater, after coach Boris Becker admitted the pair communicate with little nods and winks and so forth during games, which apparently is very firmly Against The Rules and therefore Frowned Upon. And if there’s one thing you don’t want to be, it’s Frowned Upon by the tennis authorities. A man in a purple blazer might come and wag his finger at you. Or dock you points during a match. Either/or. He said at the weekend:
I don’t think that we’re cheating. I don’t think that’s how you can call it. I mean, there are special ways of, I would say, communication, as he mentioned: the way you look at each other, the way you ‘feel’ your box, and the box ‘feels’ what you’re going through on the court. I think that’s something that just gives you that reassurance, gives you that confidence.
“It’s not necessary that he tells me where to serve or to which side of the opponent’s court I have to play, because that doesn’t happen. But it’s more of a, you know, encouragement, and more of a support and reassurance, as I said, that’s basically present in those moments.”
All of which whiffs a little of ephemera, of nonsense, of distractions from the stuff that matters, but it’s still another distraction ahead of his first-round game, which is about as tough a first round game as you can get. Philipp Kohlschreiber is ranked 33 in the world, so given that it’s impossible for any of the 32 seeds to draw another seed in the opening exchanges, it’s a doozy of a first rounder.
So could there be an upset here? Well, no, probably not. But it should be interesting, at least. Sit tight.
Start: 1pm BST
Nick will be here soon enough.
