Wimbledon 2022 LIVE: Top seed Novak Djokovic overcame a dogged challenge from 81st-ranked Korean Kwon Soon-woo and his own grasscourt rustiness to reach the Wimbledon second round with a 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory on Monday. Follow Wimbledon 2022 LIVE updates on InsideSport.IN
The defending champion, bidding for his fourth Wimbledon title in a row, looked out-of-sorts at times against Kwon, who brought a lively mixture of tennis, from booming forehands to delicate drop-shots, onto Centre Court.
Wimbledon 2022 LIVE: Novak Djokovic defeats Kwon Soon-woo in four sets to enter second round at Wimbledon
The quest for title number seven is off to a successful start for @DjokerNole#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/CC92zySTbX
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 27, 2022
The 24-year-old Korean broke Djokovic’s serve in the fourth game of the second set and went on to win it with a drop-shot and a big serve. But the 35-year-old Serb, aiming to win a 21st Grand Slam title, recovered enough of his trademark consistency to see off the challenge.
Djokovic, who played no grasscourt warm-ups before the championships, secured victory with an ace on his first match point and will next meet either Thanasi Kokkinakis or Kamil Majchrzak.
“I’ve said this before but this court is truly special,” said Djokovic in his on-court interview. “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.”
With this victory, Djokovic also became the first man to seal 80 singles victories in all the four Grand Slams. “I am as dedicated as anyone out there,” said Djokovic. “I am not one of the youngsters anymore, but the love for this sport still burns in me and I try to always play my best tennis at the Grand Slams and deliver my best tennis at the best courts. Now that we’re at 80 [wins at Wimbledon], let’s get to 100.”
Wimbledon 2022 LIVE: Novak Djokovic defeats Kwon Soon-woo in four sets to enter second round at Wimbledon
