Djokovic racks up 80th Wimbledon win
FIVB president praises POC, PNVF
LONDON (AFP) – Novak Djokovic became the first player to win 80 matches at all four Grand Slams as he made a successful start to his Wimbledon title defense on Monday while teenage star Carlos Alcaraz battled over five sets to make the second round.
Six-time champion and top seed Djokovic saw off South Korea’s Kwon Soo-woo 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
But 20-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic was made to work after falling a break down in the opening two sets against his 81st-ranked opponent.
“Now we have got to 80 wins, let’s get to 100,” said Djokovic.
Djokovic is attempting to win a fourth successive Wimbledon title and join a select group.
In the Open era, only Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer have managed such a streak at the All England Club.
Next up for Djokovic is Thanasi Kokkanikis. “Novak is kind of a brick wall,” said the Australian.
Alcaraz, a potential quarterfinal opponent for Djokovic, came back from two sets to one down to defeat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4.
US Open champion Emma Raducanu beat Alison van Uytvanck 6-4, 6-4, much to the delight of a partisan home crowd.
Matteo Berrettini, last year’s runner-up at Wimbledon, dropped out hours before he was scheduled to play his first-round match, saying he tested positive for COVID-19.
The All England Club announced Berrettini’s withdrawal, and he posted about it on Instagram, saying that he was “heartbroken” and has been isolating “the last few days” after experiencing flu-like symptoms.
The president of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) praised the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) for its excellent hosting of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The FIVB also took its hat off to the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) headed by Abraham Tolentino for finding a solution to the problems that used to hound the national association in volleyball.
With the picturesque Taal Volcano as backdrop from the Knights Templar Hotel view deck in Tagaytay City, FIVB president Ary da Silva Graca thanked Tolentino for his professional handling of the situation that forced the world governing body to “suspend” Philippine volleyball for almost one Olympic cycle.
“Thank you very much (again) Mr. President (Tolentino)…not only for the extraordinary lunch, but you helped us solve the problems here in the Philippines,” Graca told Tolentino.
“You are very strong,” added Graca, who was accompanied by his wife, Marina, and FIVB general director Fabio Azevedo.
“It’s an honor,” said Tolentino, who helped solve the leadership crisis in the volleyball in February last year leading to Ramon “Tats” Suzara assuming the PNVF presidency.
The PNVF’s successful hosting of the VNL that featured 16 of the top men and women teams in the world over the past two weeks didn’t escape Graca’s attention.
“It’s a 10,” Graca told key PNVF and local organizing committee personnel during a congratulatory meeting last Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.