London — Novak Djokovic became only the third player in history to win 350 Grand Slam singles matches after seeing off the challenge of Jordan Thompson at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
The defending champion beat his unseeded Australian opponent 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 to reach the third round, where he will meet Tomas Martin Etcheverry or Stan Wawrinka.
Roger Federer (369) and Serena Williams (365), both of whom retired last year, are the only players with more Grand Slam singles wins than Djokovic.
A single break secured the first set for the Serbian second seed and he edged the second-set tie-break to establish an iron grip on the match on Centre Court.
Thompson, ranked 70th in the world, remained steady on his serve in the third set but eventually cracked in the 12th game when trailing 6-5.
The 36-year-old Djokovic is targeting an eighth Wimbledon title, which would draw him level with Federer's men's record.
He is also chasing a 24th career Grand Slam title, which would equal Margaret Court's all-time record.
AFP