Djokovic beat Edmund – and England – to reach the fourth round

LONDON – Especially, tennis players occupy a bubble. But there are times when the big ball known as Earth – or in this case, a soccer ball – sneaks into the world of yellow ball tennis.

Shortly after 5 pm On Saturday night, Kyle Edmund and Novak Djokovic went to Center Court to play their third round match. With England having won a World Cup football match just before, Wimbledon was buzzing loudly. Exciting to have an unnamed British player Andy Murray to a victory to reach the second week of Wimbledon, the possibility of two big sports triumphs on the same day put the crowd in a stun.

According to Djokovic, "it was a Davis Cup atmosphere."

Edmund took the first run, 6-4. He had won his previous match this spring in Madrid and now seemed ready for a rehearsal at the place where two years ago, Djokovic had begun his decline.

"Kyle Edmund was in shape," said Djokovic. "He was playing really, really well, hitting the ball on either side, from the baseline, serving well."

Djokovic did not help himself with occasional moans and his habit of bouncing frequently before his service, the latter which earned him a time violation warning. Once that happened, there was even a rarity at Wimbledon: boos.

Said Djokovic, "I thought the reaction of the crowd after that was totally useless – a couple of guys really, you know, pretending to cough and whistle while I bounced the ball more or less at the end of the match for this purpose where I received the violation of time. "

– Match point of Djokovic's victory over Edmund at Wimbledon:
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Call the last three sets of a balloon management study, from each player seeking to manage the crowd. Edmund sought to inflate him, especially with great services and powerful forehands. Djokovic went in the opposite direction, seeking to extend points and either mollify Edmund in errors or create openings for the terminal strikes. Barely elegant, especially squeaky, the two clashed for almost three hours.

Oddly enough, as energetically as Edmund had played to win the first set, once Djokovic took the second, 6-3, it appeared that only a major collapse would prevent Djokovic from winning. Although far from brilliant, Djokovic was content to win the next two rounds, 6-2, 6-4. In the last three sets, he made 12 impulse errors, as opposed to 23 for Edmund.

Edmund is still at the stage where a loss like this is more uplifting than debilitating. Edmund, ranked 17th in the world a year ago, is number 17 and Murray, absent for so long, has also gained importance as the highest ranked player in his country.

"I think that overall I'm happy with the way it went, yes, I would have liked to win today, but that did not happen." Yes, I think on the whole it has been more positive on my side. "

It will be fascinating to see how Edmund will travel later this summer on the North American short circuit circuit.

Of course, reaching the second week of a major is hardly significant for Djokovic. But after 24 months of poor losses, injuries and coaching changes, Djokovic has at least survived.

Perhaps the animosity between Djokovic and the crowd might well propel him further, fueling the kind of competitive energy he might need to find his best tennis.

In 2008, an article on Djokovic quoted something that he wrote on his website: "Serbs also have a negative trait, which is the desire, as the Serbian saying goes:" That the neighbor's cow falls dead! "But that must be tolerated, because that's part of life."

So, there was a zero-sum sensibility that hides in Djokovic's past, seeking to find the grace and generosity.

What does Djokovic think of the resurgence of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, two men whom he both frequently beat in the majors? From 2011 to 2016, Djokovic won 11 majors (against only one for Federer and five for Nadal). But now, in the midst of the resurgence of Rafa and Roger Show, could Djokovic, once dominant, be even more comfortable as a party animal?

Strokes of Genius is a world-clbad documentary that traces the 13-year historical rivalry between tennis icons Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He is expected to go out with Roger as a return champion, 10 years after their famous 2008 Wimbledon Championship – an epic match so close and so representative of their competitive balance that, ultimately, the real winner was the sport itself.

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