Tim Henman revealed his two ‘favourites’ to win Wimbledon after seven-time champion Novak Djokovic advanced to the third round.
Djokovic, bidding to win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title, dropped just five games on his way to an emphatic 6-3 6-3 6-0 second-round win over Dan Evans.
The victory over Great Britain’s Evans follows a win in four sets against Alexandre Muller in the first round of Wimbledon.
Henman described Djokovic’s latest victory as ‘hugely impressive’ and said the Serbian legend had a ‘very good chance’ of winning Wimbledon for a record-equalling eighth time at the age of 38.
However, the British tennis hero still only rates Djokovic as the ‘third favourite’ at the All England Club behind two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and world number one Jannik Sinner.
Like Djokovic, Alcaraz also defeated a Brit on his way to the third round as world number 719 Oliver Tarvet was unable to produce a huge upset on Centre Court.
Alcaraz was relieved to make such light work of his second-round opponent after surprisingly being taken to five sets by the retiring Fabio Fognini in his opening game of this year’s Championships.
Sinner, a three-time Grand Slam champion, began his quest for a maiden Wimbledon title with an emphatic victory over Luca Nardi and followed that up with an equally impressive win over Aleksandar Vukic, dropping just five games against his compatriot.
‘It’s been a hugely impressive performance from Novak Djokovic,’ Henman said on BBC commentary as the seven-time champion dismantled Evans.
‘No disrespect to Dan Evans but Djokovic is going to come up against stronger players as the tournament goes on.
Why Novak Djokovic can win Wimbledon
- Carlo Alcaraz threat – he has a winning head-to-head against the favourite and has beaten him in their last two meetings
- Experience – no one in the sport has been there and done it more times than Novak
- History – Djokovic is still motivated and has a record 25th slam in his sights
George Bellshaw, tennis expert and co-host of the Tennis Unfiltered podcast, speaking to Metro. Listen to the latest episode of Tennis Unfiltered here.
‘But in this environment and on this surface, Djokovic has a very good chance of going all the way.
‘For me he is the third favourite. Alcaraz and Sinner have separated themselves from the pack but seven-time champion Djokovic knows his way around this court.
‘He’s just so efficient in every area of his game. I still think his movement is excellent. On grass he will look to shorten the points because it is the toughest surface to defend on.
‘He played some fantastic tennis today. He gave Dan Evans so few opportunities to settle or to get involved in the match. Djokovic will be delighted with his afternoon’s work.’
Evans was also complimentary of Djokovic after the match and said he ‘showed everyone why he is a contender’ to win the title.
‘First and foremost, I thought he played very well,’ Evans said in his press conference. ‘He didn’t give me much chance to get into the match.
‘He played good tennis and showed everybody on Centre Court why he’s a contender.’
Novak Djokovic rates his performance against Dan Evans
Djokovic was clearly satisfied with his performance, admitting ‘everything went his way’ in his on-court interview.
‘Dan Evans can cause a lot of trouble if you are not on your game but I think I was from the very beginning to be honest, the veteran said.
‘I knew exactly what I needed to do and I executed it perfectly. Sometimes you have these kinds of days where everything goes your way.’
Evans, meanwhile, admitted he may have played his final match at Wimbledon after being outclassed by Djokovic.
Asked if this could be his final Wimbledon, the 35-year-old world number 154 said: ‘I don’t know. Let’s see what this year brings.
‘I have to decide at the end of the year. There will definitely be some sort of chat at the end of the year [about] what I want to do.
‘It’s not getting any easier, that’s for sure. Waking up after playing matches is hard now.’
Djokovic will face fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic in the third round of Wimbledon on Saturday.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.