WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Novak Djokovic wasn’t particularly, well, Djokovic-esque, at Wimbledon on Monday.
Even he did.
He was damaged early and led 3-1 as he began his bid for a fourth consecutive championship and seventh overall in the Grand Slam grass tournament. He recovered to take this set, then gave up the next one. He slipped and fell to the grass. He accumulated more direct fouls than his rival. Maybe a little short of time; He grabbed tissues from a black box on the sideline and blown his nose. Maybe just a little off the beaten path, since I hadn’t played a game for almost a full month.
This, however, is Djokovic, seeded, and there is an explanation for why he extended his winning streak at the All England Club to 22, and his career won overall at 80, making him the first player in tennis history with at least as many wins. in each and every primary, beating South Korea’s Kwon Soon-woo 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on center court under the retractable roof.
And an explanation of why friends of Kwon’s coach’s wife, Daniel Yoo, displayed decorated posters in a guest box with players carrying messages in Korean that Yoo said meant “Fight!”and “Don’t hurt yourself!”
So Kwon walked around the court nervously. But after just two games, Kwon, ranked 81st, said through Yoo’s translation: “I thought, ‘Oh, it’s doable. . . I can hang out with him. ‘”
With the exception of a defeat of seed No. 7 Hubert Hurkacz, semi-finalist at the All England Club a year ago, Day 1 marked a regime that returned to pre-pandemic normality, with crowds full, 0 masks, full Wimbledon. tail effect and, of course, intermittent showers.
Hurkacz, who just earned a grass name this weekend, lost 7-6 (4), 6-4, 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (10-8) to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a duel starring the new Wimbledon. player. Final set format: The third set of women and the fifth set of men who succeed in 6 will move to a tiebreaker first to 10 and winning through two.
It could well be called John Isner’s rule, due to the American’s 70-68 fifth-set victory over Nicolas Mahut in 2010 and the 26-24 fifth-set loss to Kevin Anderson in 2018, either at Wimbledon or before the tournament was adopted. . decisive tiebreakers.
On Monday, Isner returned to Court 18, home of the Mahut Marathon, and scored 54 aces in a 6-7 (6), 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Enzo. Couacaud. Isner’s next adjustment will be positioned on a larger court as he will face Andy Murray, who won two of his three major championships at Wimbledon.
Murray’s 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory over James Duckworth came here on Centre Court and followed the triumph there through a top-name British winner, reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
“From the moment I walked through the doors of the ones, I can feel the power and the help and each and every one was me from the word ‘let’s go,'” Raducanu, 19, said after beating Alison Van Uytvanck 6-4. . , 6-4″. In fact, I tried to appreciate each and every point there. I played each and every point as if I had been one of the last in this field.
Djokovic, a 35-year-old Serbian, hadn’t played since defeating rival Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros and it showed. Kwon’s piercing, flat, soft rear bumps were effective in stretching.
“I didn’t start or play at my best,” said Djokovic, whose 20 Grand Slam trophies are tied with Roger Federer for the highest number in men’s tennis history, Nadal’s 22. “But I think when I needed to locate the right moves, I did. I think (my) service got me out of trouble at decisive moments. I know I can do better. “
Also keep in mind that this could be Djokovic’s last main event this season, and for 11 months, until the 2023 French Open.
As it stands, you will not be allowed to enter the U. S. The U. S. as a foreigner who has not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and is scheduled to miss the U. S. Open. In the U. S. , it starts in August. You can also end without finishing a moment in a row. Australian Open because he is not vaccinated, a prestige he said on Saturday he would not change.
After Monday’s match, Djokovic said he wasn’t thinking about New York at the moment, adding: “Hopefully some things can replace and I can pass and compete. I would like to. “
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