Novak Djokovic owns 81 opening-round Major wins: What it means
What's the story
Serbian maestro Novak Djokovic kicked off his 21st Wimbledon campaign with a hard-fought win over China's Wu Yibing. The men's singles first round was played on Centre Court and ended with a scoreline of 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in Djokovic's favor. Djokovic secured victory after three hours and 11 minutes of intense play. As per Opta, he has raced to 81 opening-round wins at Grand Slams.
Streak
Djokovic tops this list
In over two decades, players haven't found a way to dismantle Djokovic in the first round of a Grand Slam. The 38-year-old last lost a Major men's singles opening-round clash at the 2006 Australian Open. USA's Paul Goldstein beat him in four sets. And Djokovic has now extended his unbeaten streak to 81 matches. No other man has claimed more than 80 such wins.
Information
21-0 at Wimbledon
What makes this streak uncanny is the fact that Djokovic has never lost a first round at a Grand Slam other than the Australian Open. As per ATP, the Serb has now improved to 21-0 in the Wimbledon first rounds.
Upcoming challenge
Djokovic eyes eighth Wimbledon title
Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam winner, is eyeing his eighth men's singles Wimbledon title this year. He last lifted the trophy at The All England Club in 2022. Djokovic is now 103-13 at the grass-court Slam. Next up for Djokovic is a clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas, whom he leads 12-2 in the ATP head-to-head series. The two last clashed at the 2024 Paris Olympics.