Wimbledon 2023: Novak Djokovic began his Wimbledon title defense with a straight-sets victory over Pedro Cachin on Monday. The four-time defending champion won 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) on Centre Court, but the match was delayed for an hour and a half due to rain. Djokovic was seen drying the court with his towel and urging the crowd to “blow” in a farcical delay.
Djokovic was in control for most of the match, but Cachin did give him a scare in the second set. The Argentine broke Djokovic’s serve to take a 3-2 lead, but Djokovic responded by winning the next four games to take the set.
In the third set, Djokovic broke Cachin’s serve in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. Cachin broke back to level the set at 4-4, but Djokovic won the next two games to take a 6-4 lead. Djokovic then served out the match to win 7-6 (7-4).
“I try to not take any match, any minute that I spend on the court here for granted. I’m definitely blessed, so it’s a wonderful feeling to be here,” said Djokovic.
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Wimbledon 2023 Match Details:
- Djokovic won 76% of his first serve points and 55% of his second serve points.
- Cachin won 63% of his first serve points and 47% of his second serve points.
- Djokovic had 11 break points, converting 4.
- Cachin had 5 break points, converting 2.
- Djokovic hit 14 aces and 3 double faults.
- Cachin hit 9 aces and 4 double faults.
- The match lasted 2 hours and 12 minutes.
The win extends Djokovic’s Wimbledon winning streak to 29 matches. He is now one win away from equaling Roger Federer’s record of 8 Wimbledon titles. Djokovic will next face Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round.
Novak Djokovic holds the record for the longest winning streak in the Open Era, with 41 matches won in a row from February to May 2011. The streak included three Grand Slam titles (Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) and five ATP Masters titles. Djokovic lost the streak in the semifinals of the French Open to Roger Federer.
The streak was remarkable for a number of reasons. First, it came at a time when Djokovic was considered to be one of the best players in the world, but not necessarily the best. He had won two Grand Slam titles in his career, but Federer and Rafael Nadal were still considered to be the top two players in the world.
Second, the streak came during a period of great parity in men’s tennis. There were no clear favorites at any of the tournaments that Djokovic won, and he had to beat some of the best players in the world to maintain his streak.