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Djokovic wipes floor with opponent; Rublev, Ruud advance

tennis03 July 2023 12:48| © Reuters
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Novak Djokovic © Getty Images

Novak Djokovic helped dry the grass on Wimbledon's Centre Court with his towel before picking up where he had left off to beat Argentina's Pedro Cachin 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) in his opening match on Monday.

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The Serbian second seed was broken in the third game when he double-faulted but hit back immediately to level at 2-2.

Djokovic, chasing a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon men's singles title, broke again in the eighth game before serving out for the set.

The covers were rushed on as soon as the defending champion had wrapped up the set, with rain falling in southwest London.

The roof was closed but there was a lengthy delay featuring multiple inspections by officials and the players.

Djokovic, who was clearly unhappy with the slipperiness of the surface, at one stage emerged with a towel, which he used to rub the surface of the court to laughter from the crowd.

Members of the ground staff then used hand-held machines to try to dry the surface in farcical scenes on the world-famous court.

The match eventually resumed after a delay of almost 90 minutes, with the Centre Court roof reopened.

Djokovic, seeking to match Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, was unfazed by the delay, breaking in the first game of the second set to establish an iron grip on the match, repeating the feat to seal the set.

Cachin, ranked 68th, dug deep in the third set, with neither player able to force a break in the early evening sunshine.

Djokovic was immediately on top in the tie-break, surging into a 6-2 lead and he wrapped up the match when Cachin netted.

The 36-year-old Serbian is chasing the first calendar Grand Slam in men's tennis since 1969 after winning the Australian Open and French Open this year.

RUBLEV LEADS RUSSIAN WIMBLEDON RETURN WITH EASY WIN

Andrey Rublev became the first Russian through to the second round as the seventh seed breezed past Australian Max Purcell 6-3 7-5 6-4.

Rublev is one of 17 Russian and Belarusian players in the men's and women's singles draws after they were banned in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Wimbledon was the only one of the four Grand Slam tournaments to ban Russian and Belarusian players last year – a decision that resulted in ranking points being taken away from the event by both the ATP and WTA Tours.

As part of their return, players from two nations are playing as neutrals and must sign a "waiver" pledging not to support Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime.

Players are not allowed to receive state funding or have sponsorship from Russian or Belarusian companies.

Rublev, who wrote "No War" on a camera lens at a tournament shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, was given a warm welcome by the crowd on a breezy Court Three.

He looked comfortable on the grass as he proved a class above 64th-ranked Purcell to reach the second round.

"Very happy to be back here after two years," Rublev said on court. "I'm happy to win my first match. To play in London it's a special feeling. To play at 11am and have a full stadium it's doubly special."

Rublev, who reached the fourth round in 2021, did trail 5-2 in the second set before clicking back into his aggressive baseline game and he never looked back.

RUUD STAVES OFF LOKOLI

Casper Ruud found his groove on grass after a wobble as the world number four battled past French qualifier Laurent Lokoli 6-1 5-7 6-4 6-3 to reach the second round and match his best showing at the Grand Slam.

Ruud has finished runner-up at three of the last five Grand Slam tournaments but has not been able to conjure up a deep run at Wimbledon and the 24-year-old showed glimpses of the form that can help him improve his modest record.

"I take every match as an underdog," Ruud said following just his fourth Tour-level match win on grass.

"At Wimbledon, I don't have the perfect game to play on grass but today I did quite well. I consider many other players to do well before myself, so I'm just going to try to play without too much pressure.

"I'm going to enjoy every time I get to step out here on the most beautiful tennis court in the world."

After sealing an early break, the Norwegian took control of the opening set by cranking up the pressure on his 199th-ranked opponent with thunderous forehand winners that echoed inside a cavernous Court One where the roof was closed due to rain.

A deflated Lokoli cracked a smile amid cheers from the crowd after finally getting on the board but Ruud quickly wiped it off his face by wrapping up the set before his level dipped at the start of the next.

"I started great. Laurent maybe was a bit nervous, maybe it's one of the first times he plays on a big court like this," Ruud said.

"Honestly, for me too it was the first time playing on Court One so I was also a bit nervous. But I had a great time."

Wimbledon main draw debutant Lokoli settled his nerves and began to play the tennis that got him through three rounds of qualifying and the animated 28-year-old levelled the match at one set apiece with a decisive break at the end.

Ruud pulled ahead after the seventh game of the see-sawing third set where both players faltered on serve and closed it out with a timely ace before returning to his aggressive best in the next to secure the victory.

"Sometimes on grass it goes quick, some points go away here and there so I tried to stay in there and I was able to serve good enough and break him a couple of times," said Ruud.

"I'm very happy to be through to the second round."

The Roland Garros finalist next plays local wild card Liam Broady who eased past unseeded Frenchman Constant Lestienne.

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