(Wimbledon) Serbian Novak Djokovic and world No. this sport..
Djokovic, the second player in the world, started his tournament with a victory in three sets of 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (4) against the Argentinian Pedro Cachin.
Djokovic’s match, scheduled on Center Court at the All England Club — one of the complex’s two roofed stadiums — was suspended for more than an hour due to rain. Groundskeepers used leaf blowers to dry out the lawn.
“There is no doubt that it was frustrating for all the spectators. We players wanted to play but the conditions weren’t that good. It was obvious it was still slippery,” Djokovic said of the delay.
At times, Djokovic used a towel to dry out some corners of the pitch.
“I’m used to showing up with snowshoes, not towels,” he said.
This is the third leg of the Grand Slam of professional tennis, and in men’s singles, Djokovic won the first two, first in Melbourne in January and then in Paris in June.
He is therefore halfway to the calendar Grand Slam, a feat that has not been achieved in men’s singles since 1969. Djokovic came close to achieving the feat in 2021 but he lost in the final at the International des United States against Russian Daniil Medvedev.
Djokovic is also looking for a fifth consecutive All England Club title, and an eighth career, which would allow him to equal two men’s records.
Thanks to his triumph at the French Open, Djokovic totals 23 singles titles at Grand Slam tournaments, a men’s tennis record.
As for Swiatek, she began her quest for a fifth Grand Slam title on Monday with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over China’s Zhu Lin.
PHOTO HANNAH MCKAY, REUTERS
Iga Swiatek
The Pole, who has never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon, has won the last two games under the roof of court number one after a rain break.
Surprise defeat for Gauff
Qualified player and 128e in the world, Sofia Kenin upset seventh seed Coco Gauff 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the first round, in an American duel.
Each of these players reached the fourth rank in the WTA and took part in a Grand Slam final.
Kenin triumphed in Melbourne in 2020, two years before Gauff was beaten in the French Open final.
Aged 19, Gauff is seen as one of the rising stars of women’s tennis.
The same was said of Kenin in Australia three years ago, where his road to glory included a fourth-round win over Gauff.
The honor of the tournament’s first win in 2023 went to 2019 semi-finalist Barbora Strycova, who defeated Maryna Zanevska 6-1, 7-5.
Playing the tournament for a 24e time, Venus Williams was defeated 6-4, 6-3 by Elina Svitolina.
PHOTO KIN CHEUNG, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Venus Williams was given a standing ovation as she left the field after her loss.
The 43-year-old Williams slipped to 558e rank in the world.
She has only delivered 22 games since the start of 2021, the result of various injuries.
Once at the top of the women’s tour, Williams has won the English Grand Slam on five occasions.
On the men’s side, seventh-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev beat Max Purcell 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.
