Djokovic tames wildcard van Rijthoven to set up Sinner clash at Wimbledon

Top seed Novak Djokovic put an end to the fairytale run of Dutch wildcard Tim van Rijthoven during a battling 6-2 4-6 6-1 6-2 victory on Sunday to keep his Wimbledon title defence on track.

Chasing a fourth straight Wimbledon crown and seventh overall at the grass court major, Djokovic is now unbeaten on the manicured lawns of the All England Club since retiring due to an elbow injury against Tomas Berdych in the 2017 quarter-finals.

He will play Italian 10th seed Jannik Sinner, 20, for a place in Friday's semi-finals after he ousted fifth-seeded Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the previous contest on Centre Court.

Van Rijthoven was ranked 205th in the world last month and had not even won a Challenger Tour title when he took the ATP 250 grasscourt event in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, defeating world number one Daniil Medvedev 6-4 6-1 in the final.

"Very tough. I mean, I have never faced him before and he's kind of a new face on the tour," Djokovic said standing on the same lawn he graced a few hours earlier as part of a parade of former champions to celebrate Centre Court's 100 years.

"He was on a streak on this surface and I knew that it wasn't going to be easy with that serve and a lot of talent, great touch, powerful forehand, he can do a lot of damage.

"It took me a little bit of time to get used to his pace."

Djokovic broke the Dutchman at the first opportunity but was soon forced to dig deep on his own serve when van Rijthoven set up two break point chances.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic, right, with the Netherlands' Tim van Rijthoven after their match at Wimbledon on Sunday. AFP

But the Serbian saved both and let out a huge roar that sounded even louder with the roof closed because of the lateness of the match.

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