Djokovic shuts out Harrison under closed roof
Djokovic shuts out Harrison under closed roof
Defending champion Novak Djokovic displayed his liking
for Wimbledon's roof again with a late night second round victory over
American upstart Ryan Harrison on Wednesday.
The world No.1 Serb was delayed getting on court for
his second round match after steady light rain interrupted proceedings
at the All England Club but he made sure of a rest day on Thursday by
completing a routine 6-4 6-4 6-4.
He was not at his best throughout an entertaining
contest but was pleased to avoid any real drama after fending off a
mini-crisis in the middle of the second set when he trailed 0-40 on
serve at 2-3 to the American.
"It was great to be under the roof once again," Djokovic, who came through a late-night five-setter against Olivier
Rochus in the first round two years ago, told reporters.
"I thought it was a very exciting match to be a part of as a player, and I thought the crowd enjoyed it as well."
Having re-established control against the world number
48, Djokovic was rock solid as he closed out victory well before the
11pm cut-off time for play.
He failed to convert his first match point when he
netted a drive volley but he sealed victory with a service winner to set
up a third-round match against 28th seed Radek Stepanek or German
Benjamin Becker.
"It's hard to prepare for that because you play indoor
match on the Centre Court maybe once every couple of years," he said.
"2010 was my only match under the roof aside from tonight's match. It is quite different.
"I think the lights were really good. The attendance
was fantastic. The crowd enjoyed it. It was a spectacular match from a
player's point of view. Sometimes it's good for a change to be under the
roof. It makes it more interesting as well I think, if you go to the
late hours."
