Wimbledon: Serb Novak Djokovic Has Solid Win over South African Kevin Anderson

In the match-up between Novak Djokovic and Kevin Anderson, we were sure to see big-bang tennis from these two powerhouses of the game.

During the first set, Djokovic cruised out to a 5-0 lead. Compiling his shot making and timely serving, he was running on all cylinders. Much could be said the same for the 6'8” South African.

Anderson had eight aces, but Djokovic wasn't far behind with seven. Anderson had 18 unforced errors, four more than Djokovic. Anderson repertoir is one of gritty defense and solid offense.

Right out of the box, Djokovic was stealing time from Anderson, using a force-full ground attack. Placement was key for Djokovic, on the serve and across the net. He won 75 percent of first serves.

Anderson had 22 winners to Djokovic's 31. In the first set, Djokovic nearly drew a bagel from Anderson, who managed to show strong resilience, pulling back to 5-3.

Like a backboard, Djokovic was getting to a lot of balls. Although there was a slight letdown in the third game, Novak mixed in some approaches with solid volleys. The final match score: 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Former tennis pro and current broadcaster John Lloyd asserted that Anderson needed to get some free points on serve. That was not the case, as Anderson only had eight aces.

Mix in the fact that Djokovic converted more break-point opportunities (five out of nine chances) during the match (compared to one out of six by Anderson), we begin to notice how the numbers break down in favor of the Serb.

As with unforced errors, the time and place variable of the score has degrees of effect in the win/loss column. If someone misses a forehand or backhand, or a serve or volley on break point, they'll move closer to the end result.

Djokovic took the first set score out to 5-0, and let off the gas a bit while Anderson took advantage of the opportunity to climb back in the match.

Both Anderson and Djokovic were being reeled into the net on drop volleys and short forehands and backhands. Djokovic was highly successful on net approaches (15 for 18 for 83 percent), while Anderson was only 14 for 31.

The match lasted just under two hours.