London (AFP) – Wimbledon title rivals Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner must dust themselves down after bruising scares that exposed chinks in their armour.
Issued on: 30/06/2026 - 20:04
3 min Reading time
Relieved to survive the first round, reigning champion Sinner and seven-time winner Djokovic headline the last 64 action on Wednesday.French Open champion Mirra Andreeva faces former Wimbledon winner Barbora Krejcikova in a fascinating women's clash.AFP Sport takes a look at three matches to watch on the third day of the tournament (x denotes seeding):Novak Djokovic (SRB x7) v Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)Djokovic leads head to head 12-2-- Djokovic's latest attempt to make history by winning a record 25th Grand Slam singles title got off to a rocky start as he laboured against unheralded Wu Yibing in the first round on Monday.It took Djokovic over three hours to finally subdue his Chinese opponent in four gruelling sets, prompting the Serb to admit he got lucky."I dropped my level. I was really hanging on the ropes in the fourth. I probably should have lost that set to be honest. I was lucky he missed the overhead," he said."The match was toe to toe. One or two shots decided the winner. I managed to fight and stay focused till the end. It's one of these matches that we have to dig deep."Bidding to become the oldest man to win a major title in the Open era, Djokovic -- who hasn't triumphed at Wimbledon since 2022 -- has increasingly looked his age over the last two Grand Slams.The 39-year-old crashed out in the French Open third round, blowing a two-set lead against Joao Fonseca, after underwhelming displays in the first two rounds.But Djokovic can take heart from his dominance against world number 87 Tsitsipas.He has won their last 11 meetings, including the 2023 Australian Open final and the 2021 French Open final.Jannik Sinner (ITA x1) v Nuno Borges (POR)Sinner leads head to head 1-0
