Djokovic, 31, was given a heck of a challenge by Edmund, who got one of the most bizarre double bounce calls in memory go his way
EVERYTHING was set up for Kyle Edmund to complete his dream double.
The previous match on Centre Court even had the decency to finish during stoppage-time of England’s World Cup quarter-final win.
But after a team featuring a number of Yorkshiremen had achieved a landmark victory in Samara, Beverley boy Edmund was unable to celebrate his own coming of age at Wimbledon.
For a while the British No1 rode the wave of positivity and Pimm’s coming off the home fans.
At times in an impressive first set, there was a football-like atmosphere as Edmund flashed winners in all directions.
For Novak Djokovic, it must have felt a bit like playing Andy Murray in the London 2012 Olympic semi-final when tennis’ most polite arena went feral for a week as it roared the Scot to gold.
But the best football teams and the greatest champions know how to silence a home crowd.
And Djokovic, for all his doubts and frailties over the last two years, remains a great champion.
They jeered his shows of temper, they booed his frustration when Edmund had some good fortune, and they cheered when he was warned for taking too long to serve.
But the Serb had the last laugh on a court where he has lifted the famous trophy three times.
For all his recent improvement, Edmund is yet to reach the second week at Wimbledon.
And he did not serve or play well enough in his biggest match yet at SW19.
Perhaps the pressure of the occasion told.
As if the day wasn’t significant enough for football fan Edmund, it was also his first time playing on Centre Court on middle Saturday.
The All England Club upheld its tradition of filling the Royal Box with sporting greats in style. A truly stellar guest list was topped, for the fans in the stands at least, by Sir Bobby Charlton.
The 1966 World Cup winner must have thought it was safe to accept the invitation to watch some tennis during this year’s tournament in Russia, never expecting it to clash with an England quarter-final given their recent record.
Speaking of summers of underachievement, it was also five years to the day since Andy Murray had ended 77 years of hurt for British men in the singles.
No pressure, then, as opportunity knocked for Edmund to show off his credentials to live up to Murray’s example: the British tennis equivalent of the English football’s impossible job.
Facing him was Djokovic, the man Murray had beaten on that historic day.
The same man, but not the same player.
The tennis machine which had racked up 12 Grand Slam titles and had Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal looking over their shoulders seemed to break down two years ago at Wimbledon amid rumours of off-court problems.
Then an elbow injury struck, for which Djokovic finally resorted to surgery earlier this year.
But since reuniting with long-time coach Marian Vajda, there had been distinct improvements in the Serb’s game.
And although there were tell-tale signs that he was still some way off his best, he produced enough good tennis at the right moments to beat Edmund.
A ultimately frustrating afternoon for the Brit had begun well, though.
There was a crackle in the air as the players entered in the arena, and plenty of zip in Edmund’s game.
When he took his fourth break point opportunity of the seventh game, the crowd erupted. When he claimed the first set with a monster 131mph serve, it did likewise.
But Edmund was not putting enough first serves in court – at times less than 50 per cent.
You feared it would tell against him and it finally did in the eighth game of the second set, when the Serb broke at the fourth opportunity.
Djokovic roared towards his player’s box like a thing possessed when he took the Edmund serve at the start of the third set.
He was relishing the role of pantomime villain.
When the crowd cheered long and loud after he was finally warned for taking too long to serve in the sixth game, he simply waited for quiet and ignored the boos as he did so.
The Serb kept up his relentless groove on serve, offering Edmund little.
The crowd sensed hope when Edmund saved four break points in a controversial seventh game of the fourth set, when both players rowed with umpire Jake Garner.
But it was Djokovic who was roaring when he broke serve at the next opportunity.
And after serve had proved so crucial, it was appropriate that he sealed victory with an ace.
“It’s coming home, Kyle,” someone in the crowd had said before the match.
Football may yet, but tennis isn’t, not this year.
