Djokovic sweeps aside tour rookie
SHOCK: TSITSIPAS CONTINUES HIS POOR RUN ON GRASS
Novak Djokovic overcame an early wobble before getting his bid for a sixth Wimbledon and record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title off to a winning start yesterday and then saw potential semifinal opponent Stefanos Tsitsipas crash out.
One year after the 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, defending champion and world No 1 Djokovic claimed a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win over Britain’s 253rd-ranked Jack Draper.
Third seed Tsitsipas, however, beaten by Djokovic in the French Open final just two weeks ago, slumped to his third first round defeat in four visits to the tournament.
America’s Frances Tiafoe, ranked 57, stunned the Greek star 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
Djokovic, 34, struggled on the slippery Centre Court surface with the roof closed above it due to the rain which had delayed play on outside courts for five hours.
But Djokovic soon snuffed out any danger of him becoming only the third defending champion to lose in the first round, by sweeping through the remainder of the tie.
“I probably had one of the best serving performances that I can recall on any surface,” said Djokovic who fired 25 aces and 47 winners.
The Serb will play South Africa’s Kevin Anderson in the second round.
With the Australian and French Open titles under his belt, Djokovic is bidding to become only the third man in history to claim a calendar Grand Slam.
His match was preceded by a standing ovation for Professor Sarah Gilbert, one of the key scientists behind the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine who was a special guest in the Royal Box.
Tiafoe won a second-tier grass court Challenger event in Nottingham this month before making the quarterfinals at Queen’s.
“It sounds pretty damn good,” said Tiafoe.
Play on the outside courts started so late that 16 of the day’s scheduled 64 matches were cancelled
until Tuesday.
Belarus second seed Aryna Sabalenka had the honour of being the first winner at the tournament in two years when she downed Romanian qualifier Monica Niculescu 6-1, 6-4 under the roof of Court One.
Sabalenka fired 48 winners past Niculescu.
“I was nervous a little bit because I haven’t played on the show courts at Wimbledon,” said Sabalenka who has yet to make the last-eight of a major. –