Former champion Pat Cash is backing Serbian star Novak Djokovic to avoid a second- round disaster against Marat Safin at Wimbledon tomorrow.

Third seed Djokovic is the reigning Australian Open champion, a title that Safin won in 2005 to go with the US Open crown he collected five years earlier.

Now these two hugely popular players clash in one of the outstanding secondround matches ever scheduled at Wimbledon and Cash will be in the crowd to witness the battle.

Safin is unseeded at Wimbledon, making him the most dangerous floater since Jaws, and despite having dropped down the world rankings to No77 he still possess the ability to play like a Grand Slam champion.

The Russian has seen sister Dinara Safina reach the French Open Final and this has spurred him on to work even harder on the practice courts. He goes into this match holding a 1-0 career record against the 21-year-old Serb.

That meeting came in 2005 as Safin powered his way to the Australian Open title and the 6-0, 6-2, 6-1 thrashing will be the perfect motivation for Djokovic to put the record straight.

Cash said: "Marat could shake things up for Novak and he is starting to get his confidence back and is now working really hard to improve his fitness. Can he upset Novak? That's going to be a tall order because Novak is one of the form players and his victory in the Australian Open was hugely significant.

"It really is an outstanding match-up for the second round and you wouldn't pick Marat to face at such an early stage but Novak has the power to handle him. However, Novak is going to have to improve his movement on grass which was something that was evident in the first round against Michael Berrer."

If Djokovic comes through the Safin match, he will stay on course for a potential semi-final against Roger Federer, who is bidding for a record equalling sixth successive title.

Federer was already odds-on to ease his way through the early rounds before potential third-round opponent Gael Monfils withdrew with a shoulder injury, ending hopes of a repeat of their French Open clash which came at the semifinal stage. Now, only former champion Lleyton Hewitt and his dodgy hip offers real danger to Federer, who accounted for close friend Dominik Hrbarty 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in yesterday's first round.

Next up is Robin Soderling, the big-serving Swede who is being talked up as a possible problem for Federer, although this is difficult to believe given the Swiss superstar has a 6-0 career record against the world No41.

Even Federer is " bigging up" Soderling's tennis game, although this appears more in the hope of being given a real work out in the second round rather than suggesting his sixth title is under serious threat.

If Federer does make it six in a row he will equal the record of Warwickshire's William Renshaw, who achieved that feat in 1886 when you only had to win one match in the challenge round to retain the title.

You could make a genuine argument for Federer to enjoy similar treatment at Wimbledon as he has now amassed 60 consecutive wins on grass [Halle and the All England Club] and hasn't dropped serve on the surface this year. It would certainly give the other 127 players in the draw a better chance of success if Federer was given a bye straight into the final.

Having been thrashed in straight sets by Rafael Nadal in the French Open, Federer couldn' t wait to get to Wimbledon.

He said: "The next round will be a difficult match and I will definitely not underestimate him [Soderling]. Grass really suits his game because he's got a great serve.

"Getting through the first round is a key as I have an extra day of practice. Robin is a dangerous player because on one particular day he can play top-10 tennis. He gave up against me in Miami and those are just signs of being a little weak mentally. But nevertheless, it's not a whole lot of fun playing against him in the second round."

Djokovic had a real battle on Centre Court last night against Germany's Berrer, a burly left hander, before emerging a four-set winner.

While Wimbledon is Federer's second home, the tournament is a work in progress for the Serb who has improved his performances on the lawns every year he has played. A semi-final against Nadal last year saw him retire due to blisters and he finished the year by reaching the final of the US Open, where he lost to Federer.

Djokovic could have become the world No1 if he had won Wimbledon and Federer lost in the first round, and while that has now become a redundant statistic, it highlights the kind of disaster that needs to befall the Swiss player to affect the top of the rankings.

Djokovic, like Federer, credits Wimbledon with giving him the major motivationto become a world-class player and has a distinct memory of Pete Sampras holding the famous men's singles trophy aloft.

He said: "I still have a picture in my head of Pete Sampras holding the trophy. So this is the image that stayed throughout my career and which motivated me to become a tennis player."

Becoming a serious contender at Slams has changed Djokovic's status in the sport and although he remains the big joker in the men's locker room, he knows the Australian title has made him a serious draw card.