Djokovic thumps king of clay Nadal to enter third round
The two greats of the racquet game, both in the evening of their fabulous journey in tennis, have fought many a pitched battle between themselves in their glittering careers.
Seven-time champion Roger Federer and three-time winner Novak Djokovic were in imperious form as they both posted convincing Centre Court victories in the third round of the Wimbledon Championships here.
Second seed Djokovic was too strong for former world number 10 Ernests Gulbis of Latvia on Saturday. The Serb prevailed 6-4, 6-1, 7-6(2) to set a fourth-round meeting with unseeded Adrian Mannarino who upset fellow Frenchman and number 15 Gael Monfils 7-6 (3), 4-6, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, Xinhua news agency reported.
"I'm delighted with what I achieved today," Djokovic said. "I raised the level of tennis. Comparing to the first couple of matches and the last couple of weeks, I think this was the most focused I was on the court and obviously at the right time because Gulbis, he is a great challenge.
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"He is very unpredictable and he's got a huge serve. The average is around 125, 140 mph. He started very well, he was a break up but then I managed to win seven or eight games in a row and that gave me a lot of confidence. Just in general, I'm very pleased with the way I felt and the way I played."
Third seed Federer became the last man to book a berth in the last 16 with a 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-4 victory over German number 27 Mischa Zverev.
The 18-time Grand Slam winner finished with 58 winners and just seven unforced errors. He will take on former semifinalist No. 13 seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, who outclassed Dudi Sela before the Israeli retired hurt while trailing 6-1, 6-1.
"It's important to get through the first week with a good feeling and I think I got that," said Federer. "The first match with the walkover saved me a lot of energy, crucial energy. We go one round at a time.
"The first goal is to get through to the second week and I am happy to sit back and relax and then come back on Monday."
Eighth seed Dominic Thiem progressed to the second week for the first time with a 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 result over American Jared Donaldson. The Austrian next faces former finalist Tomas Berdych. The Czech number 11 seed easily defeated David Ferrer of Spain 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
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