Only time will tell, but another rain delay at Wimbledon on Friday may end up extending Novak Djokovic’s reign.
Trailing Sam Querrey two sets to none, Djokovic–playing on a roofless Court 1–saw the heavens open up with more precipitation to postpone the remainder of their third-round showdown from Friday to Saturday. Querrey holds owns a stunning 7-6(6), 6-1 advantage heading into the resumption of play scheduled for noon.
The delay may be just what the doctor ordered for the two-time defending champion, but Roger Federer needed no such stroke of good fortune.
Thanks to being scheduled on Centre Court for a third consecutive match, Federer can sleep easily on Friday night and Saturday morning. Whereas one second-round tilt (Alexander Zverev vs. Mikhail Youzhny) has yet to be completed, Federer is the first and only man through to round four. The world No. 3 took rolled over Daniel Evans 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 under the closed roof to secure his spot in the second week.
Federer cracked 11 aces without double-faulting and broke serve six times to coast in one hour and 26 aces.
“I’m clearly very happy because, well, the goal was to get to the second week somehow,” said the 34-year-old Swiss, whose form had been question following a French Open withdrawal and early exits in Stuttgart and Halle. “Now I won nine straight sets, which is great. Plus with the wet weather that we’ve seen, the opponents that I had, (you’re) never quite sure. But I was favored if I would be feeling 100 percent, great, yes, you would maybe expect that. But I didn’t know for myself where I was, so I am happy where I am now.
“I’m really pleased of how actually my level has gone up, how round by round I’ve been able to play better. Yeah, I’ve gotten through this tough first week in terms of weather.”
“Obviously everyone dreams about playing Federer on Centre Court,” Evans added. “Two Brits (also Marcus Willis in round two) got a chance this year. Should be inspiration for a lot of people. It’s inspiration for me that I got a chance to play him. I want that again, to play other good players on those courts.”
Of course, Evans should have said two Brits “so far” have gotten to play against the 17-time major winner, because Andy Murray vs. Federer remains a potential title match. And with Djokovic down two sets to love as we speak, Murray vs. Federer has suddenly become somewhere between possible and probable.
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