When Jarkko Nieminen leapt out of the blocks with an instant break over Novak Djokovic in their second-round encounter, it was enough to send a ripple of astonishment round the Centre Court.
But when an eight-time Grand Slam champion – and twice Wimbledon winner, of course – is facing a player ranked No.91, it is likely to be only a matter of time before the scoreline looks more familiar.
In his retirement season, the 33-year-old Finn put on a display to be proud of especially in the first set, but it was the defending champion and No.1 seed who prevailed 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 in 92 minutes.
With the Centre Court temperatures for those seated in the shade nudging 90 degrees, it is quite possible that Nieminen mistook the arena for a sauna – hence his instant comfort there. Saunas are an integral way of life in his native Finland, with the nation boasting an average of one per household.
They are thought of as a necessity – even part of the national identity. So he probably regarded the heat as nothing more than helpful post-match recovery from his strength-sapping first round five-setter against fellow soon-to-be retiree Lleyton Hewitt on Monday.
Truth be told, at the start of the match there were some at courtside still mentioning that it would have been a fine thing to see Hewitt – the 2002 champion here – bring down the curtain on his Wimbledon career on the Centre Court against the best player in the world.
But such thoughts were rapidly dispelled when Nieminen went into all-out galloping attack, with a level of intensity it was impossible to imagine he could sustain. He produced some lovely tennis in the first set, but this was clearly optimum Nieminen, whereas Djokovic did not have to be near his absolute best to do enough to snuff out any threat.
Once that first set was done, it was a smooth display from the defending champion, although he may need to dig deeper when he comes up against the No.27 seed Bernard Tomic in round three.
At the handshake, Djokovic made a point of pausing to congratulate Nieminen, adding afterwards: “Just out of respect. There are these moments. In the present moment, maybe you are not aware how important it is, this milestone for him. He deserved the ovation. He’s been around so many years. He is one of the nicest guys off court and a fighter on it. It was a pleasure to be the last player to play him here at Wimbledon. I have a very nice relationship with him for many years. When I was coming into professional tennis as an 18-year-old, I met him playing some Challenger in Helsinki and ever since then he’s been very kind to me.”
Niemenen was clearly touched. As he walked from the sacred arena, he kissed his fingertips and then brushed his hand over the grass, with the applause of both the crowd and Djokovic in his ears. The Serb, meanwhile, has the next round to look forward to.
“I would rate my performance as probably seven or eight out of 10,” said Djokovic. “Very solid. I did just enough to win in straight sets. He started very aggressive. I managed to stay calm, and started playing more freely. The heat wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. People were predicting really difficult conditions.
“On Friday against Bernard I expect him to serve well, to mix up the game, come up with a lot of variety. He has a lot of talent in his hands. He can play flat shots, short slice, come to the net. He has a very quick motion for the serve which is difficult to read on grass, and this is the surface he loves playing on the most. We played in the 2011 quarter-finals, four tough sets. So I’m not expecting anything easy.”
