ISTANBUL
Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic advanced to the second round of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships with straight-set victories on Monday.
The 36-year-old Serbian kicked off the event with a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 victory against Argentina’s Pedro Cachin after a weather delay of about 90 minutes caused by showers.
“For me, the opening match is a little bit tricky. I’ve not played any warm-up match, and grass is a little different to clay,” Djokovic told the Centre Court crowd afterward.
“Each year I come back here, I reconnect with the young boy who dreamed of winning the biggest and most important tennis tournament in the world. I try not to take any minute on this court for granted,” he added.
Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, last suffered a defeat at the tournament 2,182 days ago after American player Sam Querrey eliminated him in the third round.
Norway’s Casper Ruud and Italy’s Jannik Sinner also qualified for the next round in men’s singles.
Gauff exits Wimbledon in 1st round
Swiatek, the world No. 1 in women’s singles, beat China’s Zhu Lin 6-1, 6-3 in the Wimbledon opener to move to the second round.
Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, defeated Coco Gauff with sets of 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to advance.
American fourth seed Jessica Pegula and French fifth seed Caroline Garcia also moved to round two after defeating their opponents.
