In the gentlemanly way that makes him a well-liked victor, Roger Federer didn’t mind Novak Djokovic getting paramount use of Centre Court at Wimbledon on day three.
The five-time champion had some information for the up-and-coming Serbian after present through the regulation of the earliest match on maiden day, important Djokovic how well the freshly manicured lawn courts at the All England Club in a transitory chat between original-round matches.
There was no followup conversation Wednesday, when Djokovic out in aboveboard sets to No. 75-hierarchical Marat Safin – a dangerous in the draw as a two-time Grand Slam award champion – and Federer advanced past Robin Soderling 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3), his 61st successive win on grass.
Djokovic have provoked a fierce opposition by saying Federer was vulnerable at Wimbledon after his lopsided loss to No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the French Open final this month.
But Federer felt no compulsion to rub it the face of the 21-year-old Djokovic after the Serb’s 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-2 loss.
“He was doing his thing. I was doing in truth mine. Once he lost, he left,” Federer said. “So I didn’t certainly … no, we didn’t get to chat at all.
“It’s not the right flash to do that kind of talk. We’ll do that some further time.”
The 12-time Grand Slam championship leader up for a while and then the second and third sets of the Safin-Djokovic match, when the mercurial Russian showed glimpses of the and quad handling that took him to at the U.S. Open in 2000 and an Australian designation in ’05 after down two of the previous competition in Melbourne.
“Marat played a great match, so to win in the end,” Federer said, to emphasis on what ashes in front of him rather than the absence of -ordered Djokovic. “That Novak lost doesn’t make my day any restored, but my match counts.
“You know, I did well. Beat a condition performer. I’m through to the round, so that’s genuinely what I’m focusing on. It’s true, it’s a big disturbed. But I’m anyway concentrating on my part.”
Soderling poor Federer in the sixth game of the third set, and then led 5-3 before the Swiss rallied to strength a deciding game.
It was the fundamental time in seven since losing to Nadal at Roland Garros, his most askew Grand Slam reverse, that Federer has lost a observance game.
He could see the good and bad of it.
“I was essentially on a similar vein a few ages ago when I didn’t get inoperative from the quarters on in ’03, I feel, until all the way to the billet of ’04 or approximately like that,” he said. “It was starting to get a burden because people beginning to run by again me of it. So it was good to get it out of the way against Lleyton (Hewitt) there, I reminisce.”
Hewitt, the only extra Wimbledon champion in the draw, advanced past Albert Montanes of Spain 7-6 (4), 6-0, 6-2 and as a fourth-round match for Federer.
Hewitt won here in 2002, before Federer’s splash started in ’03. Federer has flattened Nadal in the last two finals and, with the potential obstacle of Djokovic , added No. 1 vs. No. 2 final is coming up.
Nadal was scheduled to play Thursday on the opposite side of the draw against Ernests Gulbis of Latvia. Americans Andy Roddick and James Blake were hoping to take their second steps toward a possible twenty-five percent-round meeting.
Women’s champion Venus Williams was to remain her crusade for a fifth Wimbledon ownership with a second-round match against Britain’s Anne Keothavong. Third-seeded Maria Sharapova – the 2004 champion – was to play fellow Russian Alla Kudryavtseva.
Venus and her fellow Serena Williams were to play Thursday in the second round, aiming to add to combined nine Grand Slam doubles titles and to refine up for the Olympics.
Serena Williams advanced to the third round Wednesday, surviving the “Graveyard of Champions” on Court 2, in her 6-4, 6-4 win over Urszula Radwanska of Poland.
Ana Ivanovic used up her fair share of luck in her initial tough match since winning her head foremost at the French Open and gaining the No. 1 ranking, getting the better of the net and the calls as she two match points en route to a 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 10-8 win over 97th-graded Nathalie Dechy.
One bad match here and she lose the No. 1 ranking momentarily to Sharapova or Serbian compatriot Jelena Jankovic.
With Djokovic out of the way, only Nadal can task Federer’s grip on the No. 1 position he’s held since February 2004. Not that Federer habitually looks who is coming behind him.
“You look at the , not particularly because of your own ranking, but just see who’s tender around a diminutive bit,” he said. “But I wouldn’t know now how much my lead is, for occasion, or what it . This is up to another people.
“As long as I’m No. 1, I don’t if truth be told look at my ranking very much.”
