LONDON.- Novak Djokovic He said he would not have been surprised if his second round match against youngster Jacob Fearnley in Wimbledon would have gone into a fifth set, but he is “thankful that it didn’t.”
The seven-time All England Club champion beat the 22-year-old Scot 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 on Centre Court on Thursday in another test of his fitness following recent knee surgery.
“Could I play better and move better? Yes, absolutely,” Djokovic admitted in the on-court interview. “I hope that as the tournament progresses, every day, every match, I feel better.”
Fearnley, who arrived with a wild card, received a standing ovation from a section of the crowd as he took the third set.
“He served really well, it was hard to break his serve. He definitely made me work,” he added, “and of course, it all depends on the opponent on the other side of the net. He made me earn the win.”
The 24-time Grand Slam winner admitted he should have won in straight sets but was “not really comfortable in my own skin, especially in the third and fourth.”
Feminine side:
Meanwhile, Jessica Pegula (5) became the highest-seeded player to lose. The American fell 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-1 to Wang Xinyu. This was Wang’s first win against a Top 10 opponent.
Two-time Australian champion Aryna Sabalenka was the third seed at the tournament before she withdrew ahead of her first-round match with a shoulder injury.
Britain’s big day got off to a rocky start after wildcard Yuriko Lily Miyazaki won just 19 points in a 6-0, 6-0 loss to Daria Kasatkina on Thursday.
Miyazaki, 28, made 31 unforced errors to fall to the 14th seed. The Russian is coming off a title win in Eastbourne.
Source: AP
