Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic secured a long-awaited revenge on Thursday by defeating British favourite Daniel Evans 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 to reach the third round of Wimbledon 2025.
This match marked their first meeting since Evans stunned Djokovic in straight sets at the 2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
With this Centre Court victory, Djokovic surpassed Roger Federer’s record for the most men’s singles third-round appearances (19) at Wimbledon in the Open Era. The 38-year-old Serbian now boasts an impressive 99 wins and just 12 losses at the All England Club.
When asked about the new milestone, Djokovic responded with humour, saying, “It means that I’ve been playing quite a long time. Nineteen times — that’s a great stat. It’s probably almost as much as Sinner and Alcaraz have years in their life, but I still enjoy it. This sport has given me so much. Wimbledon remains the most special tournament in my heart — the one I always dreamed of winning as a kid. Any history made here is extra special for me.”
Although the final scoreline looked comfortable, Djokovic had to stay composed in the early stages. After losing a few points at the start, he found rhythm quickly, building a 5-3 lead before closing out the first set. From there, he dominated the 35-year-old Evans, striking clean winners from both wings and forcing errors from the Briton.
Despite Evans’s efforts to charge the net, Djokovic maintained control, playing some of his best tennis this season.
After the match, Djokovic said, “Sometimes you have these kinds of days when everything goes your way. It’s good to be in your shoes and holding a racket on a day like this. I was well prepared, both technically and tactically. I knew what I had to do, and I executed it perfectly.”