July 03, (THEWILL) – In four sets on Sunday at the All-England Club, Novak Djokovic endured a difficult test before defeating Tim van Rijthoven to go to the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
With little cause for concern, the number one seed advanced to the fourth round of SW19, getting better over the week. But, he faced a resilient young player in Van Rijthoven who had a strong serve and a variety of shots.
The Dutchman did not appear out of place on the big stage and threatened an upset when he won the second set, but Djokovic came back with style to seize control and showed that he had more tools at his disposal.
Prior to having his career ruined by a string of injuries, Van Rijthoven was highly regarded as a junior. He won his first game of the match with a serve and volley, providing a glimpse of what made him so good as a junior. Yet, Van Rijthoven found the going difficult with Djokovic’s whose energy levels stayed amazingly high. By dragging the Dutchman around the court to take away his legs, the champion worked him over to take the win.
The Serbian may need those extra gears in the quarter-finals as his 6-2 4-6 6-1 6-2 victory on Centre Court qualified Djokovic for a match against Jannik Sinner, who sent the sensational Carlos Alcaraz packing from Wimbledon.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
