Novak Djokovic moved a step closer to a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title by outclassing British wildcard Dan Evans in the second round of Wimbledon on Thursday.
The Serbian, who has dropped down to No 6 in the world rankings, looked in great touch on Centre Court where he has been crowned champion seven times.
He would draw level with Roger Federer's record eight titles if he wins the grass-court event for the first time since 2022, and on this evidence he is in the mood to make history at his favourite tournament.
Djokovic was too good for Evans from start to finish at the All England Club, looking unplayable and operating on a different level to his beleaguered opponent, as he completed a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 demolition job in one hour and 47 minutes.
The sixth seed struggled with stomach issues in his four-set win against Alexandre Muller, praising the “miracle pills” he took during the first round for his strong recovery.
But there was little sign of problems here as he overwhelmed Evans with 46 winners.
The former world No 1 will be looking to one better in the London Slam having been knocked out in the semi-finals of both the Australian and French Open this year.
And on this form, the 38-year-old will be a match for anyone. “Thanks for coming out on the Centre Court again. I think everyone knew that it would be a special atmosphere,” said Djokovic in his on-court interview after beating world number 154 Evans.
“A Brit in Britain is never easy to face. Dan Evans can be causing a lot of trouble if you are not on your game which I think I was from the beginning to be honest.
“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.”
When asked what it felt like to reach 99 wins at Wimbledon, he added: “It means that I have been playing for quite a long time! I still enjoy and this sport has given me so much.
“Wimbledon still stays the most special tournament in my heart and the one that I always dreamt of winning when I was a kid. Any history made here is very special for me.”
Australian 11th seed Alex de Minaur is through to Round 3 after coming back from a set down to beat Frenchman Arthur Cazaux 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 on Court 2. Only Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev have more ATP-level matches than De Minaur's 29 in 2025.
In the women's draw, teen sensation Mirra Andreeva brushed past Italy's Lucia Bronzetti in straight sets as she targets a first ever Grand Slam final appearance.
The Russian 18-year-old – who became the youngest player ever to capture a WTA 1000 title in February's Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – suffered a meltdown during her shock French Open quarter-final defeat to world No 361 Lois Boisson a month ago.
But there was no sign of frustration on SW19's Court 1 as she cruised to a 6-1, 7-6 victory to seal her spot in the third round.
Only Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula have won more matches than Andreeva's 34 this year and she will be among the favourites in London.
“I got a little bit nervous and she started to play better,” Andreeva said in a courtside interview, before adding she would not be getting much time off because she had doubles to play and then her coach Conchita Martinez would want to run over some elements of her game.
“She's not going to let me go home,” said the Russian, who now takes on Hailey Baptiste of the United States. “She pushes me to my limits so thanks for that, I guess,” she added to smiles from Martinez in the coaches' box.
Former champion Elena Rybakina barely needed to shift out of second gear as the Kazakh 11th seed motored into the third round with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Greece's Maria Sakkari.
American 10th seed Emma Navarro made even shorter work of Veronika Kudermetova, beating the Russian 6-1, 6-2.
