Novak Djokovic defies the ‘Wuuus’ – but this was not the start to Wimbledon he wanted

Novak Djokovic dug deep to beat China’s Yibing Wu in four sets in a “really challenging” first round win at Wimbledon.

It looked as if Wu, the world No 102, may have been about to drag the 39-year-old Djokovic into a deciding set when he had 0-40 on the Serbian’s serve at 3-2, but the 24-time grand slam champion saved all six break points he faced in the fourth as he held on before breaking his opponent to close out the 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-4 win in three hours and 17 minutes.

Wu, a former US Open junior champion who is rebuilding his career at the age of 26 having struggled with injuries in the last two seasons, electrified the Centre Court crowd with his flat, aggressive game from the baseline. The level he produced led to loud rumblings of “Wuuuu” from the crowd, which sounded a lot like boos, but were actually recognition of Wu pushing Djokovic to a closer match than he would have wanted to start the fortnight.

Djokovic had not played since his third-round exit at the French Open to Joao Fonseca but had sounded optimistic about his preparation for Wimbledon as he attempts to win a record 25th grand slam title and eighth Wimbledon crown. This was not a straight-forward start, however. Despite displaying his remarkable dexterity on the grass, stretching into splits to return Wu’s shots and diving to reach potential winners, the sight of Djokovic stretching out his back and wincing throughout the third and fourth sets could be a concern.

Had Wu taken one of his six break points in the fourth, it would have been unlikely that the fifth set was completed before Wimbledon’s 11pm curfew and Djokovic would have been forced to return on Tuesday to play out the remainder of the match. Djokovic even admitted that he “should have lost” the fourth set but Wu was unable to take his chances.

“It felt really challenging today, Wu deserves a round of applause for his incredible performance,” Djokovic said on court. “As for how I’m feeling, I’m feeling happy but not the freshest I guess. It didn’t feel like the first round to be honest.

“He put me under a lot of pressure. I’ve never faced him before; I knew that he loves hitting the ball very flat and very aggressively from the back of the court and he loves protecting the line. But he definitely surprised me with the level of every shot he had in his game from his return serves, forehand, backhand and at some point he didn’t really have a weakness

“Playing on this surface, these kind of matches are decided in few points and few shots. Thankfully I have the experience of the last 20+ years of playing on this court that can help me a little bit and manage the situation. It would be nice to combine the experience with a young fresh body – that would be the winning formula.”

Jannik Sinner bloodied – but remains standing

At just after 4pm on the opening day of Wimbledon, it felt like Jannik Sinner could be heading for a place in the record books. Returning as defending champion to open play on Centre Court is one of the privileges that comes with winning the sport’s oldest tournament and most prestigious trophy, but it comes with pressure, too. Only two men have lost in the first round as reigning champion, Manuel Santana in 1967 and Lleyton Hewitt in 2003, and when Sinner trailed Miomir Kecmanovic by two sets to one it briefly appeared as if something historic was unfolding.

“I tried to reset myself as fast as I could,” Sinner said later. In doing so, the Italian avoided the sort of unthinkable collapse that marked his last outing at the French Open, where he lost, shockingly, from two sets up while fatigued physically and mentally from a 30-match winning streak. Despite welcoming his preparation for Wimbledon, there remained some questions over Sinner’s condition. When Kecmanovic, ranked 50 in the world but capable of producing powerful, flat strokes from his compact, stocky frame, won the third-set tiebreak Sinner had lost five of the last six sets he had played.

To win, Sinner had to go the distance. He had not won a match in five sets since his comeback from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in the 2024 Australian Open final, his first grand slam victory. Since then, he had lost five in a row, including those collapses against Carlos Alcaraz in the 2025 French Open final and Juan Manuel Cerundolo last month, as well as his defeat to Djokovic in this season’s Australian Open semi-finals. There had, also, been an injury worry. The blood seeping through Sinner’s white Nikes from a broken toenail was not the issue. Rather, a concerning fall and cry after a slip on the fresh grass during the second set. “I got lucky there because things can go wrong very, very quickly,” the 24-year-old said.

For all those reasons and doubts, Sinner emerged with an important victory in what could be his toughest test of this opening week. From two sets down, he steadied and found the tennis that built that astonishing 30-match winning run and made him such an overwhelming favourite ahead of the French Open.

“Trying to hold serve the first couple of service games are very, very important because if he breaks you straightaway, it is tough to come back. “But I try to stay there mentally, trying also to enjoy the moment because it has been an amazing day for me and my team as well.”

And now he is able to get into his stride. He has experienced the walk onto Centre Court, he has navigated the new grass and broken into the turf where he so impressively defeated Alcaraz to win last year’s title.

“Now we have one day, which hopefully gives us a little bit of time and the right rhythm to get back the next day,” he said. “It is a little bit different playing on Centre Court the first match because the ball is slightly slower than the courts where you practice. In the beginning I struggled a bit with the forehand. I knew it before the match. I need a couple of matches.”