"Wolf energy on the court": Djokovic after Wimbledon round 1 win
London, June 30
Serbian tennis icon Novak Djokovic posted a joyous story of his "wolf energy on the court" after starting off the first round of Wimbledon with a win on Monday night.
Djokovic kick-started his quest for his 25th Grand Slam title and his first since June 2023 with a win over China's Wu Yibing 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, setting up a clash with Stefanos Tsitsiaps, who he leads 12-2 in their Head2Head series but they have not faced since the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Taking to Instagram, Djokovic posted, "Full moon in the sky. Wolf energy on the court. Woooooo to round 2".
Earlier, Jannik Sinner started his Wimbledon title defence with a hard-fought win over Miomir Kecmanovic on Monday. Coming into the tournament after a surprise second-round exit at Roland Garros, Sinner beat Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3 in the first round at the All England Club, according to the ATP website.
He made 52 unforced errors and faced a real challenge, but recovered well to win after three hours and 30 minutes. Kecmanovic played strongly, especially in the third set, where he produced a standout rally in the tie-break. At 5-6 down, he pushed Sinner from side to side before rushing the net and forcing a diving shot, which brought the Centre Court crowd to its feet.
Sinner also slipped earlier in the set, landing awkwardly, but he was able to continue without medical treatment.
After reducing his errors and improving his play, Sinner took control in the final sets and finished the match strongly. He will now face Portugal's Nuno Borges in the second round.
The world No. 1 also equalled Nicola Pietrangeli's Italian record of 94 Grand Slam wins. He avoided becoming only the third defending men's champion to lose in the first round at Wimbledon.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Honestly, Djokovic is just showing off now! 😂 But I love how he connects with his fans. That Instagram post was pure gold. On the serious side, it's amazing how Sinner equalled Pietrangeli's record - 94 Grand Slam wins is no joke! Tennis in Italy is really booming.
I have to say, Djokovic's first-round opponent Wu Yibing is a talented player. That 5-7 second set shows the Chinese player has promise. But Djokovic's experience just pulled him through. Sinner's match was scary though - that slip could have been serious! Happy he didn't need medical attention. Weather at Wimbledon has been tricky this year.
Djokovic vs Tsitsipas in the next round? Their Head2Head is 12-2 for Novak, but Tsitsipas has been improving. Should be a cracker of a match! 🔥 But can we talk about that Kecmanovic rally in the tie-break against Sinner? That was top-class tennis! Reminds me of how Indian players like Somdev Devvarman used to produce those moments.
I appreciate Djokovic's showmanship, but 52 unforced errors from Sinner is worrying for a defending champion. He needs to clean up his game if he wants to go deep. That said, both champions showed grit - something we Indians admire in our sports heroes too. 🇮🇳
"Full moon in the sky. Wolf energy on the court." - I need this on a T-shirt!
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.