Novak Djokovic Cruises Past Horacio Zeballos in 2nd Round of Wimbledon 2018

Novak Djokovic cruised into the third round of Wimbledon 2018 after a comfortable straight sets win over Argentina's Horacio Zeballos on Thursday.

The three-time All England Club champion got off to the perfect start by breaking Zeballos at the first attempt. He broke again to make it 5-1 and then served out the first set in just 22 minutes.

The second set again saw the No. 12 seed earn a double break and have few problems on his own serve, and he clinched it 6-2.

Zeballos simply had no answer to Djokovic's power and precision, although there was a scare for the Serbian late in the third set when he called for a medical timeout for a leg injury.

The issue did not appear to affect him too much as he wrapped up the third set 6-3, but it will be a concern ahead of his third-round match against either British No. 1 Kyle Edmund or America's Bradley Klahn.

Djokovic found himself out on Court Two for the clash against Zeballos for the first time since 2009, per tennis commentator Nick Lester:

However, the unfamiliar surroundings did not affect Djokovic as he stormed through the opening set. The Serb was dominant on serve and threatened an early double break until Zeballos managed to win his first game at 3-1.

A brilliant diving volley from Zeballos in the next game thrilled the crowd but did little to affect the outcome of the game; Djokovic won the next three in a row to seal the first set.

Djokovic continued his dominance at the start of the second. He broke in the first game but then appeared to lose concentration and offered Zeballos the chance to hit straight back after slipping 0-40 down on his own serve.

However, his opponent could not take advantage, and Djokovic came up with some big serving to take it to deuce and then hold serve. The former world No. 1 was untroubled as he cruised through the rest of the set against a committed but inconsistent Zeballos.

Another early break in the third followed, and Djokovic's only concern came towards the end when he was forced to call for the trainer:

Djokovic seed did not look completely comfortable, but he managed to serve out the third set and complete the match in one hour and 30 minutes.

Tennis writer Matt Zemek offered his view on Djokovic's hopes:

Djokovic was all smiles at the end of the match, which suggests his injury is not too serious. If he can stay injury-free and maintain his early form, he will be a contender for the title.