REPORT: British players give Novak Djokovic a serious scare on Centre Court…..

Defiant British player Jacob Fearnley gave Novak Djokovic a great scare on Centre Court, but Djokovic prevailed 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 to go to the third round.

Seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic was rocked by the British wildcard and world No. 277 when he won the third set 7–5, shocking the home fans.

After a fierce performance that few anticipated, Fearnley left Centre Court with his stock rising.

Just one month prior, the 22-year-old wildcard wasn’t in the top 500 in the world. However, after winning the Challenger title in Nottingham, he climbed more than 200 spots.

As the match progressed, Fearnley played fearlessly and adopted a high-risk, high-reward strategy despite the formidable Djokovic across the net.

Particularly in the third set, which was sealed after Djokovic miscued a forehand return to lose his serve, Fearnley was rewarded for his daring.

Fearnley has never competed at a Grand Slam until this week so he has taken a series of huge strides forward in a positive few days.

For Djokovic, he will be eager to shake off the rustiness as he looks to stitch together an eighth Wimbledon title.

‘First and foremost, huge congrats to Jacob Fearnley for an amazing match today. He put in a great effort and played very good tennis,’ Djokovic said on court.

‘I didn’t have a chance to see him play. Actually two days ago, I saw him for the first time. Obviously there’s always an element of surprise and nothing to lose, him playing in Wimbledon, always going to be tough.

The majority of British athletes are accustomed to playing on fast, grass courts as they were raised there. I felt he served really well considering the difficult conditions and the really windy day.

“It was quite difficult to break his serve,” he continued. He definitely forced me to work. I think it was a bit of a lucky break for me not to collapse in the fourth.

“Maybe I could have won in three, but overall, I think this match should have gone to a fifth with the way we both played, especially Fearnley in the fourth, but I’m really delighted it didn’t.”