Defending champion Novak Djokovic started Wimbledon with more trouble than expected.
The six-time champion from Serbia won under the closed roof of the Center Court against the South Korean Kwon Soonwoo after 2:27 hours 6: 3, 3: 6, 6: 3, 6: 4 and celebrated his 80th victory at Wimbledon.
“He played really well,” said Djokovic: “I had to find a way to gain control over the points. My serve helped. If he had converted the breakball in the third set, things could have gone differently.”
Surprisingly, Hubert Hurkacz, who traveled to Wimbledon as a semi-finalist and winner in Halle/Westphalia as one of the favorites, was eliminated. The Pole lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6:7 (4:7), 4:6, 7:5, 6:2, 6:7 (8:10). He almost had the game back under control after match points against himself in the third set.
Djokovic also made an unusual number of mistakes against Kwon, number 81 in the ranking. After the quarter-finals of the French Open against Rafael Nadal, he paused and did not play a preparatory tournament. The lack of match practice on grass was noticeable. “Without pre-season matches you feel less confident than you would like,” he said.
Murray defies artificial hip
Also one round ahead is Djokovic’s longtime rival Andy Murray. The two-time Wimbledon champion from Scotland, who despite an artificial hip is playing amazingly well and recently reached the final in Stuttgart, won against Australian James Duckworth 4: 6, 6: 3, 6: 2, 6: 4.
For Djokovic, who is the only player in tennis history to have at least 80 wins in all four majors, Wimbledon is probably the last chance this year for his 21st Grand Slam title. In all likelihood, he will not be allowed to travel to the US Open in New York as he has not been vaccinated. Djokovic had already missed the Australian Open in January.
“I would love to travel to the States, but as of today it’s not possible and there’s not much I can do,” said Djokovic: “It’s up to the US government to make a decision on whether they let unvaccinated people into their country.” In Wimbledon, Djokovic is allowed to compete unvaccinated, as was the case recently at the French Open.