Wimbledon wrap: Federer through, Djokovic breaks records

Plop, plop, plop. That was the sound abounding around the All England Club today, as the British Summer once again reared its wearisome head. But it wasn’t all dark and stormy in SW19. A smattering of matches limped across the finish line, many carried over from the day before. Here’s the round-up.

The men’s action:
Another day, another milestone crushed. Yes, Novak Djokovic has made a habit of breaking records lately, and Wednesday at Wimbledon was no different. In downing Adrian Mannarino 6-4 6-3 7-6(5), Djokovic notched up his 30th consecutive Grand Slam win, beating the record of 29 set by Rod Laver in 1969-70.

“Knowing that I won 30 in a row, it’s very pleasing. I want to keep on going. Let’s see where it takes me,” Nole gushed. ”Every single record that I managed to achieve in the last couple of years is important. Every next one that I have a possibility to achieve is more motivation.”

It’s official: Roger Federer is a fairytale killer. Yes, the Great One sauntered onto court and crushed the dreams of Marcus Willis, his mum and the over-zealous British newspaper columnists who predicted an upset. After a relatively shaky opening match on Centre, Federer was a class (and then some) apart from world No.772, dismissing him 6-0 6-3 6-4.

“He fought, he tried, he hustled. I thought he handled it great on the court,” Federer said, almost without sounding patronising.

Elsewhere, Bernard Tomic finished off his titanic tussle with Fernando Verdasco, coming through 4-6 6-3 6-3 3-6 6-4; Dominic Thiem Grass court gun Florian Mayer 7-5 6-4 6-4; Alex Zverev continued his impressive form with a 6-3 6-4 6-2 win over Mathieu; and Tomas Berdych completed his carried-over win against Ivan Dodig 7-5 5-7 6-1 7-6(2).

The women’s action:
When the women’s draw came out, there was arguably no bigger banana skin lurking in the first round than the one shaped like Sorana Cirstea. But Petra Kvitova, who won at SW19 in 2011 and 2014, negotiated it brilliantly. The Czech star eased past the in-form Romanian 6-0 6-4.

Belinda Bencic was another seed with a tricky first round tussle. The Swiss star faced the always dangerous Tsvetana Pironkova, who reached the 2010 semifinals, in a late match on Centre, but cruised through 6-2 6-3.

Elsewhere, Aga Radwanska got her campaign up and running with a 6-2 6-1 win over Kozlova; Home hopeful Jo Konta dispatched the dangerous Monica Puig 6-1 7-5; and Genie Bouchard managed to nab herself a handy victory with a 6-3 6-4 walloping on Magdalena Rybarikova.

Ones to watch:
If you’re looking for absolute blockbuster matches, Thursday at Wimbledon hasn’t got an awful lot to offer. There is, however, a smattering of tantalising ties out there, and none moreso than Bouchard against Konta. Cibulkova v Gavrilova promises to be entertaining, while Errani v Cornet should be dramatic.

On the men’s side of things, Gilles Simon will try and wrap Grigor Dimitrov up in his web of tennis, Isner will try and blow Baghdatis off the court, and John Millman will have his work cut out against the mercurial Benoit Paire.