Djokovic survives four-set test to open Wimbledon title bid

Novak Djokovic opened his Wimbledon campaign with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Wu Yibing, a scoreline that kept alive his bid for a record-equalling eighth title at the All England Club and a standalone 25th Grand Slam singles crown. The 39-year-old had to fight for rhythm after dropping the second set, but he still found enough control to move into the second round and preserve his place among the tournament’s central contenders.

The match worked as an early read on where Djokovic stands physically after a disrupted build-up. Wimbledon said he had played only three tour-level events since the Australian Open final because of a shoulder injury, and he had not played a tour-level match since losing to 20-year-old Joao Fonseca in the Roland Garros third round on May 29. Before the tournament, Djokovic said he was “planning to peak at Wimbledon” and believed grass gave him a “higher dose of confidence,” a line that fit the way he handled the moments when Wu pressed him. He was forced into longer exchanges than he would have wanted, but he kept the match from slipping beyond one lost set.

The result mattered beyond the opener because it came in Djokovic’s 21st Wimbledon appearance and only one year after ATP Tour said he had reached six consecutive finals before losing in the semifinals to Jannik Sinner. ATP’s head-to-head records also showed the first-round match was Djokovic and Wu’s first ATP Tour meeting, a reminder that the world No. 8 was testing himself against a younger opponent ranked No. 99 with little to lose. On grass, where a handful of points can swing a set quickly, Djokovic’s ability to steady himself after the second-set setback was as revealing as the final score.

Djokovic now moved on to a draw that had already sketched a demanding path, with Stefanos Tsitsipas or Hugo Gaston in round two, Arthur Rinderknech in round three, Andrey Rublev or Joao Fonseca in round four, and Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals. The opening win did not look effortless, but it did show a player still capable of absorbing pressure, resetting his level and keeping his Wimbledon pursuit on schedule.