Wimbledon: Djokovic overcomes injury scare to claim victory

Top seed inflicts straight-sets defeat on Simon, enters fourth round.

LONDON: Top seed Novak Djokovic survived a shoulder injury scare to reach the Wimbledon fourth round on Friday with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win over France’s Gilles Simon, his seventh successive victory over the Frenchman.

Djokovic, the 2011 champion, needed a medical timeout to receive treatment and take a painkiller after hurting his left shoulder in a spectacular diving attempt to reach a Simon drive in the sixth game of the third set on Centre Court.

But the Serb overcame the scare to set up a clash with French 14th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for a place in the quarter-finals.



Djokovic admitted he was shaken by his fall and finished the match in some discomfort, but the world number two hopes the damage isn’t severe enough to impede his chances of continuing in the tournament.

“Yes it was a sharp pain when I fell,” said Djokovic. “It was an awkward fall. I was just hoping nothing was going on bad with the joint.

“There was no damage in the joint, so I could play a few games after that. The muscle was still quite sore because of the impact, so all in all I’m just glad to get through.

“In the important moments I played well and came up with the right selection of shots, even though I dropped a couple of service games.

“Now there are two days off so I’m going to recover and get ready.”

Djokovic has won 10 of his 11 meetings with the big-serving Tsonga, including in the 2011 Wimbledon semi-finals and the quarter-finals at the 2012 Olympic Games, which were staged at the All England Club.

But the Serb knows the flamboyant Tsonga, twice a Wimbledon semi-finalist, is a dangerous opponent on grass.

“He is a great grasscourt player and has won against some good players at Wimbledon,” said Djokovic.

Li Na ousted, Halep progresses

Chinese second seed and Australian Open champion Li Na was knocked out of Wimbledon on Friday, losing 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5) in the third round to Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic.

The defeat followed a first round exit for Li at the French Open last month as Wimbledon again proved her undoing.

In eight appearances at the All England Club, the 32-year-old has still never got beyond the third round.

In another match, third seed Simona Halep reached the Wimbledon third round with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over Ukrainian qualifier Lesia Tsurenko.

French Open runner-up Halep will face Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic for a place in the last 16. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2014.

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