Novak Djokovic did not have a smooth opener round to the much anticipated Wimbledon as he was forced to play four sets against Kwon Soon-woo of South Korea on the Centre Court. Novak Djokovic has had a rather disappointing year, at least based on the standards he has set for himself.
Not only has he won a single grand slam title, but also has zero appearances in a grand slam final match.
Adding on to all these, the Wimbledon might be the only chance for him to clinch a grand slam title since he will not be able to attend the US Open unless there is a change in the COVID-19 Vaccination rule by the US Health Department.
Novak and his fans expected the opener of the championship to go smoothly. However, things decided to take a turn and Djokovic suffered a scare against his opponent, Kwon Soon-woo.
Novak Djokovic survives a scare in the second set to win the Wimbledon Opener
It was expected for Novak to have a straight-set victory, however, things took a turn when Kwon Soon-woo decided to up his game.
The three-time defending champion of the Wimbledon eventually went on to win the match and progress to the second round, but he surely was not playing at his best level. It took him around two and half hours to win the game.
What a game to witness! #KwonSooHyun just took 2nd set against @DjokerNole !
If this guy stays fit & consistent, he can be an excellent grass court player. Amazing drop shots too! Don’t think it’ll be easy to beat #Djokovic as he is resilient! #Wimbledon2022 @Wimbledon— Akash Agrawal (@AkashAgrawal_1) June 27, 2022
His opponent Soonwoo was by far the better player in the second set after he made a point by surviving a difficult game and kept the pressure on Novak by hitting well through his forehand.
This surely must be concerning for Djokovic since he will only be facing more experienced opponents in the forthcoming rounds. If he aspires to win his fourth consecutive Wimbledon and defend his title, he will need to shed his rustiness in order to achieve that.
That was one heck of a performance from Soonwoo Kwon! Midway through the 3rd set, he had Novak Djokovic in a spot of bother. Winning all the long rallies and showed his repertoire with wonderful drop shots. Djokovic eventually comes through 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. #Wimbledon
— PP (@PrashantSport) June 27, 2022
The fans were also shocked yet at the same time accelerated to see such a close match which at a point seemed as if it could go out of Novak’s hands.