- Djokovic attains the feat of most number of wins in Grand Slams.
- He aims to win his fourth Wimbledon title.
- Alcaraz needs five sets to advance to the second round.
Novak Djokovic became the first player to win 80 matches at each of the four Grand Slams as he began defending his Wimbledon championship on Monday, while Carlos Alcaraz, a teenager, needed five sets to go to the second round.
Six-time winner and top seed Djokovic defeated Kwon Soo-woo of South Korea 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
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However, the 20-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic was forced to fight hard after going behind by a break in the first two sets against his 81st-ranked opponent.
“Now we have got to 80 wins, let’s get to 100,” said Djokovic.
Djokovic, 35, is hoping to join a rare group by winning a fourth consecutive Wimbledon championship.
Only Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer have accomplished this feat at the All England Club during the Open era.
Next up for Djokovic is Thanasi Kokkanikis. “Novak is kind of a brick wall,” the Australian added.
Alcaraz, a potential quarterfinal opponent for Djokovic, overcame a two-set deficit to overcome Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany.
The 19-year-old won 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 with 30 aces and 73 winners in a spectacular display of shotmaking.
Alcaraz remarked, “Last year, I played five sets in the first round here as well so this shows how much I like grass,”
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