Serbian Tennis star Novak Djokovic might not be the most liked player among the fans; however, he knows how to entertain the public. Be it with his exploits on the court or his antics, the veteran player rarely ceases to grab eyeballs. Djokovic did that again on Monday during a rain delay in Wimbledon 2023.
Amid the rain delay at the grass court event, Djokovic began to dry the court by himself. As the crowd found it amusing, the 36-year-old asked them to indulge more in it.
Novak Djokovic off to a winning start in Wimbledon 2023:
The seven-time and defending champion got off to a dream start at the grand slam tournament in what was his 18th appearance. His victory over Pedro Cachin on Centre Court, his 87th Wimbledon triumph, improved his record to 18-0 in the first matches of the third Major of the year. Due to the rain, Djokovic and Pedro had to leave the court for an hour and a half as the organisers worked to dry it. While waiting for the fight to resume, Djokovic entered the court with a towel and enjoyed himself. In the third set, he also caught the net after skipping the breaking zone at the net.
In game seven, Djokovic led 4-3 at the half and had three break chances in the following game. The reigning champion opened a 5-3 lead after forcing the opponent's error in the third. In the ninth game, Djokovic served the opening point and won a volley at the net for a hold at 30 and 6-3 in 41 minutes.
Djokovic played even better after the rain-induced break:
The 36-year-old was an improved player once they returned from the break. The Serb conceded two points after the opening shot and converted 45% of the incoming points into two breaks for a score of 6-3 and an advantage.
After Cachin's forehand inaccuracy in the first game, Djokovic successfully converted the third break point and served brilliantly to keep the lead. In the ninth game, Pedro served to stay in the set, and the Serbian delivered his second break with a crisp return to establish a 6-3, 6-3 lead in an hour and twelve minutes.
At the beginning of the third set, both players struggled with their serves, denying them and maintaining a close match. Cachin hit a service winner to even the score and increase his chances when serving to stay in the match at 4-5. In game 11, Djokovic successfully held at love to take the lead 6-5 and keep the opposition team under strain.
In game 12, Cachin hit a flawless volley to start a tie break. After the Argentinean committed a double fault in the second point, Novak overcame him at the net in the subsequent point to establish a 3-0 lead. In the fourth point, Djokovic blasted a double fault before using a strong serve to go up 4-1.
Cachin produced a forehand to go 5-1 down before winning the seventh point with a serve ace to close the gap. The 28-year-old Argentinian prevented the second match point with a down the line winner after saving the previous one at 2-6. At 6-4, Djokovic won his 29th Wimbledon game in a row.
