Novak Djokovic started his 2019 Wimbledon campaign in fine fashion, as he swept aside the tricky Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3 7-5 6-3 in the opening match on Centre Court.
The defending champion, playing his first competitive match of the season on grass, was efficient in seeing off a dogged German opponent, particularly once he’d navigated his way through a topsy-turvy second set.
Kohlschreiber, 35, actually beat Djokovic earlier this year in Indian Wells, but there was to be no repeat upset here as the Serb got off to a flyer.
After breaking in the fourth game of the match, Djokovic remained defiant on serve – with the effects of 2001 champion Goran Ivanisevic who recently joined his team already showing – despite struggling to find his range on the forehand.
The momentum swung early in the second set as Kohlschreiber broke in the second game, but Djokovic broke straight back as the rallies grew in intensity.
But when the Serb broke at 5-5 after mounting pressure on the Kohlschreiber serve, the set and indeed the match was firmly in Djokovic’s favour.
The third set was more comfortable, and a forehand winner cross-court clinched a straight sets win in two hours and three minutes.
Djokovic, who is bidding to become a five-time champion at the All England Club, will play Denis Kudla in the second round, after the American beat Malek Jaziri from Tunisia.
