Djokovic said that he was “happy but not the freshest” after needing more than three hours to defeat Wu Yibing in his first match of the season on grass on Monday.
The Serb’s meeting with Tsitsipas, a top-10 player for most of the past decade but ranked 87th following injury struggles, had the air of a contest which belonged deeper in the tournament as the Greek showed glimpses of his ability – including bending a stunning forehand winner in around the net post.
But, as relaxed as anyone on the sport’s biggest stages, Djokovic even found time to prank a ball kid during the interval before the third set, pretending she had hurt him while cutting some string off his top, before storming to victory.
He also joked after the match that he wanted to challenge McIlroy to a tennis match – with the winner taking the Masters green blazer that he wore in the Royal Box.
Djokovic started well on serve but, after forcing the breakthrough, had to withstand three break points from 0-40 down to consolidate his advantage.
Normal service resumed thereafter, with Djokovic producing just seven unforced errors in a display which once again asserted him as one of the title favourites.
“I’m feeling great. I try not to take these moments for granted when playing on the Centre Court of Wimbledon,” Djokovic said.
“It was the childhood dream tournament. I feel very privileged to be walking out on this court at age 30-plus.
“I don’t think it’s a cliche because I actually believe it is true, but age is just a number.”