Federer through, Djokovic departs

ROGER FEDERER motors remorselessly on as the road to history and that sixth consecutive Wimbledon title gets less congested by the day.

Not only was he close to his dominant best as he dispatched Sweden’s Robin Soderling 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7/3) to take his place in the third round, but he also saw one of tennis’s major traffic cones removed from his route.

An hour or so before Federer walked on to Centre Court, Novak Djokovic – the man who had been potentially the most troublesome of semi-final opponents on his side of the draw – was sent packing by Marat Safin.