The world No. 7 beats the world No. 81 in straight sets in the second round of Wimbledon. Not much of a storyline. Until you look at the names behind the rankings \u2014 and the very different trajectories their careers have taken since their most iconic clash \u2014 Novak Djokovic continues to shine in the twilight of his career. At the same time, Stefanos Tsitsipas finds himself at a crossroads.<\/p>\n
It is June 13th, 2021, 3:55 p.m. The Final Sunday on the clay in Paris<\/a>. 22-year-old world No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas has just taken a two-sets-to-love lead over world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and is one set away from claiming his first Grand Slam title and writing Greek tennis history. But the Serbian had other ideas, storming back to win in five sets and lift his 19th Grand Slam trophy.<\/p>\n Fast forward five years. The two meet again on the Grand Slam stage. Wimbledon. Centre Court. Only this time, 7th-seeded Djokovic faces unseeded Tsitsipas in the second round. And he routs him. The seven-time Wimbledon champion dispatched the Greek 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in just over an hour and a half, a scoreline that could hardly be more one-sided on a grass court.<\/span><\/p>\n What should be more worrying for Tsitsipas than the scoreline was Djokovic\u2019s demeanour throughout the match. The 39-year-old looked as comfortable and relaxed as he has ever been on a tennis court, chuckling and even making jokes with a ball girl during a set break.<\/span><\/p>\n An anomaly for a player at times associated with emotional outbursts, racket smashes, and vigorous exchanges with his box in tense moments. Here, he looked as if he were sipping cocktails while watching the sun set over the Athenian Riviera. A stark contrast to his more strained opening-round win against Yibing Wu, an opponent with a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 far less imposing than Tsitsipas\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n The reason was simple: at no point \u2013 barring injury \u2013 did it feel as if it was possible for Djokovic to lose this match. And he seemed fully aware of that. He swung freely, tried some things, and whenever it got tight (which was basically never the case), simply served or directed play to Tsitsipas\u2019 backhand, knowing that he would come out on top of the vast majority of those exchanges.<\/span><\/p>\nDjokovic Looked Incredibly Comfortable<\/h3>\n