It seems that every time Novak Djokovic wins another match, he rewrites the history books and he did just that on Monday.
The Serb defeated Kwon Soon-Woo in the opening round of the 2022 Wimbledon for his 80th victory at the grass-court major – making him the first tennis player ever to win that many at each of the four Grand Slams.
Given that he’s the defending champion and a six-time winner of this particular tournament, the Wimbledon 2022 odds are favouring him to win his seventh barring any unforeseen circumstances.
Meanwhile, his finals opponent from last year’s edition in Matteo Berrettini will not get his shot at redemption, while Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas were almost on the receiving end of a couple of upsets.
Read on below as SBOTOP brings to you the latest Wimbledon 2022 updates.
Novak Djokovic happy to make winning Wimbledon return
Novak Djokovic was more appreciative than usual given what he has gone through in these past few month and he soaked it all up from the crowd at Centre Court on Monday.
His match against Kwon Soon-Woo was his first since losing to Rafael Nadal in the Roland Garros quarter-finals.
“I was very pleasantly surprised. I mean, in a positive way. I felt support, I thought they were very fair to me. I enjoyed my time very much on the court,” said Djokovic.
“For me it has always been the court I dreamed of playing and winning on, and all my childhood dreams came true here so it’s an honour and pleasure to be back on Centre Court,” he added.
Djokovic’s hopes of winning his fourth consecutive Wimbledon were given a stern test as the World No. 3 look a bit rusty and was on his toes throughout the match.
Kwon, who was aiming for his fourth tour-level win on grass, was aggressive in the opening exchanges as he broke early for a 3-1 lead using his powerful forehand. However, Djokovic adjusted and won five consecutive games to secure the first set.
The South Korean was in a similar situation in the following set and held on, but the Serb regained his rhythm in the next two sets to extend his unbeaten Wimbledon streak to 22 consecutive matches.
He is slated to take on Thanasi Kokkinakis next after the Australian beat Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak in straight sets.
Matteo Berrettini out due to positive COVID-19 test
Berrettini said that he was “heartbroken” following his positive COVID-19 diagnosis which forced him to withdraw. The Italian made this announcement on his Instagram and added that he was feeling under the weather.
“I have had flu symptoms and been isolating the last few days. Despite symptoms not being severe, I decided it was important to take another test this morning to protect the health and safety of my fellow competitors and everyone else involved in the tournament,” said Berrettini.
“The dream is over for this year, but I will be back stronger,” he added.
The 26-year-old was supposed to be one of the favourites here in UK, especially after winning in Stuttgart and at Queen’s Club respectively in the build up to Wimbledon. Berrettini is the second high-profile player to test positive, joining 2017 Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic.
With Berrettini sidelined, the Wimbledon bracket is now without five of the Top 11 players in the ATP rankings, with Medvedev and Rublev banned from playing, Zverev injured, and Hurkacz eliminated in the opening round.
Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas survive first round scare
Nadal and Tsitsipas passed their opening round tests in the 2022 Wimbledon, but it took much more effort than many would’ve predicted.
Competing on grass for the first time since 2019, Nadal had to fend off Francisco Cerundolo – who was making his debut at The Championships – with a score of 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
The Spaniard was in control after the first two, but the Argentine was threatening to make a comeback when he won the third and pushed the 36-year-old to a break down in the fourth. But Nadal wasn’t fazed and kicked things up a notch, winning the final four games from 2-4 to secure the victory.
It was similar to Tsitsipas as the Greek won the first two, lost the third, and won the fourth set. Alexander Ritschard was also aiming for a comeback in the final set but his double faults during the 10th game nullified his momentum for good.
After winning the opener, Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas will face Ricardas Berankis and Jordan Thompson respectively in the second round.
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