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| Djokovic through to Wimbledon last 16 after injury scare | | | LONDON, June 27: Rolling around in pain clutching his left shoulder, Novak Djokovic's Wimbledon hopes looked in serious jeopardy against Gilles Simon on Centre Court on Friday but he recovered to win 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 and reach the last 16.
Leading 3-2 in the third set the Serb was closing in on an uneventful victory against his French opponent when he stumbled and dived to reach a forehand, crashing heavily to the turf.
With the 2011 champion apparently in extreme pain and with concerned coach Boris Becker watching on, it looked as though Djokovic might not be able to continue but after walking to his chair where a trainer manipulated his shoulder, he carried on.
Despite looking a little tentative, he showed no obvious signs of discomfort and finished the job with a smash.
The shaken 27-year-old, who had slipped several times during a match featuring some long baseline exchanges, looked relieved at the finish and said he hoped a there would be no ill effects from his spectacular slip.
"It was a sharp pain when I fell, an awkward fall," the six-time Grand Slam champion said after walking off court.
"I was just hoping there is nothing going on with the joint, luckily there is no damage and I could play."
Djokovic has not lost before the quarterfinals at Wimbledon since 2008 and while not hitting top gear so far this year, he appears to have plenty in reserve.
He seemed content to trade shots from the baseline with the nimble Simon in the opening set, the two players apparently having the tennis equivalent of a staring contest.
Simon blinked first, dropping serve to trail 4-2 but Djokovic then lost his own in the next game when his touch let him down with an attempted half-volley dropshot.
Simon held serve after eight deuces in a brutal eighth game but the effort he put in to restore parity told a couple of games later when Djokovic broke again to take the opener.
The match then looked like a foregone conclusion until the late drama in the third set.
Djokovic will now get the weekend to recover from his fall before playing 14th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in the fourth round.
"The muscle was quite sore with the impact but I am just glad to get through," Djokovic, who knows he will have to step up his level in the second week, said.
"Now there are two days off and I am going to try and recover for the next one against Tsonga.
"Tsonga's a great grass court player, he loves the energy of the big stadium and it is going to be a big challenge for both of us," he added. |
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