Top seed and 20-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was made to work on Thursday at Wimbledon, but he still managed to prevail in the men's singles second round. The 24-time Grand Slam-winning Serbian was dragged into a contest under the spell of British wildcard Jacob Fearnley. Djokovic won 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 after three hours of battle.
Two places below, but not less physical, were Ben Shelton, who battled from behind to qualify past Lloyd Harris in a brutal five-setter. Shelton fought hard against all odds to win 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(10-7) in a tussle that lasted three hours, fourteen minutes.
He looked poised for a similar scoreline when he broke Fearnley at the beginning of the third set but his opponent worked his way back into the match, claiming a third-set decider and pushing Djokovic to the wire in the fourth. Again the Serb responded, breaking with his trademark fire three games later to close the first ATP World Tour encounter between the two.
Despite knee surgery in early June, Djokovic has been in remarkable form at Wimbledon. He dropped just five games in his first-round match against Vit Kopriva and, having held results against wildcard entrants at the majors, Djokovic's currently sitting on a 32-1 record. His only opponent who succeeded in winning a home Grand Slam title was Andy Murray, who defeated him in the Wimbledon final of 2013.
Djokovic is now looking to win an 8th title. He will likely face the winner of the contest between Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Australia's Alexei Popyrin, against whom he won in the Australian Open earlier this season.
The 22-year-old British newcomer, a maiden winner at Challenger level earlier this year, saved the best for his Grand Slam championship debut. Ranked 222nd in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Fearnley's spirited performance at Wimbledon has further confirmed his growing confidence and potential in the sport.
Meanwhile, without giving up, Shelton heads to the third round to face Denis Shapovalov. The US Open semifinalist took down both Mattia Bellucci and Lloyd Harris in deciding sets at The Championships this year—fighting spirits and skills, indeed.
The impending match between Shelton and Shapovalov looks to be the meeting of two quick-wristed attackers, both being more committed to flair than substance, who do their utmost to enliven the showcases of champions.
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