Everything appeared to be going smoothly once again for Djokovic as he wrapped up his sixth and seventh successive sets at this year’s championships to assert himself against the big-hitting Rinderknech.
Djokovic had delighted the audience with sumptuous shot-making up to that point, taking a bow and putting a finger to his ear after executing a volley at full stretch on his way to polishing off the opening set.
That was a clear signal that he had found his rhythm following a start in which the players traded early breaks, but Rinderknech continued to ask questions as he forced an early break point in set two.
However, when Djokovic responded by immediately turning the pressure on his opponent and clinching a third break point in the following game, the outcome seemed inevitable.
To his credit, Rinderknech, who ousted third seed Alexander Zverev here last year, stuck to his task – and he was rewarded with successive breaks of serve as he blew Djokovic away in the third set.
The enthralled crowd became increasingly vocal in support of both players as Rinderknech continued to grow in belief deep into the fourth set.
With a tie-break required to separate them, the decider remained on serve until the 10th point, when Rinderknech missed a forehand.
In a fitting conclusion to an absorbing three-hour contest, both players ended the match on the ground after Rinderknech threw himself at a drop shot and Djokovic responded with a dive of his own to clinch his first match point, prompting the crowd to jump to their feet and applaud their efforts.
