WIMBLEDON: For a guy who is ranked fourth and has a Grand Slam title under his belt, Novak Djokovic doesn't get a lot of mention in the discussions about Wimbledon favourites this year.

And that's just fine with him.

"I'm happy that the people are not talking about me in this moment," Djokovic said after a 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 second-round win over Simon Greul of Germany on Wednesday. "To be honest, I wish for that, so I can really focus on my game and try to perform my best tennis as possible."

After defending champion Rafael Nadal pulled out with bad knees, most people see Roger Federer as the clear favourite to capture a sixth Wimbledon title. British hopes rest with third-seeded Andy Murray, while two-time finalist Andy Roddick is also seen as a potential contender.

But Djokovic, despite winning the Australian Open last year, is operating largely under the radar.

He reached the semifinals here two years ago, but lost to Marat Safin in the second round in 2008. This time around, even he seems to be part of the crowd talking down his chances.

"I didn't have a lot of success last year," Djokovic said. "I have no expectations really for Wimbledon this year. I don't try to create a pressure on myself that I need to get far in the tournament." Against Greul, Djokovic rallied from 4-2 down in the first set, and then won seven straight games after being broken to start the second.

The Serb threw his racket in anger after that break, and he continued to struggle with his serve in the third. He traded breaks twice with Greul before getting a decisive breakthrough to go up 5-4.

He will next face Mardy Fish of the United States, who beat Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia in four sets.

"I can't rate myself as a favourite in that match, a big favourite, because I think he's been playing well," Djokovic said.

"It's going to be interesting. I think the key on my side is going to be return, if I'm going to be able to make him play more than he expects." Part of Djokovic's desire to be viewed as a long-shot is his experience at the Australian Open this year, when he was in the media spotlight as the defending champion.

"I felt a huge amount of the pressure, and I couldn't really deal with it in the best way," the 22-year-old Djokovic said. "I'm aware of my qualities. It's just that I don't want to, as I said, create an extra pressure on myself, because I know how hard it is to deal with it."