Novak Djokovic has begun his quest for a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon men’s singles title with a 6-3 6-3 7-6 first-round victory over Pedro Cachin.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion will next face Australian world No.70 Jordan Thompson as he looks to match Roger Federer for the most Wimbledon trophies.
Djokovic, who has already surpassed Rafael Nadal for the most major men’s singles titles in history, looked comfortable as he beat Argentine world No.68 Cachin on Centre Court in straight-sets on day one of the 2023 Championships.
The 36-year-old got off to somewhat of a shaky start as Cachin saved break point in his opening service game before registering the first break of the match – but he could not hold in his next service game as Djokovic broke back to make it 2-2.
Djokovic started to come alive and broke Cachin for a second time to give himself the opportunity to serve for the first set – getting the job done at 6-3 – before a long rain delay ensued and the roof temporarily came out on Centre Court.
There was a break in play for almost an hour and a half and in the first game after the restart, Cachin carelessly produced a double fault and Djokovic punished him with his third break point as he held for a 2-0 lead in the second set.
The duo exchanged service games but Djokovic looked increasingly in control on the grass – and at 5-3 he produced another break to win the second set 6-3.
Cachin put up more of a fight in the third set with some impressive serving – much to the delight of the crowd on Centre Court – but Djokovic looked unstoppable on serve, eventually leading to a tie-break, which the Serbian won 7-6 (7-4) to make it game, set and match.
Djokovic beat Nick Kyrgios in last year’s final and has won the last four Wimbledon men’s singles titles in a row as he looks to land his 24th Grand Slam trophy at this year’s Championships.
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