LONDON, United Kingdom, Jul 3 – Novak Djokovic helped dry the grass on Wimbledon’s Centre Court with his towel before picking up where he had left off to beat Argentina’s Pedro Cachin 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) in his opening match on Monday.
The Serbian second seed was broken in the third game when he double-faulted but hit back immediately to level at 2-2.
Djokovic, chasing a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon men’s singles title, broke again in the eighth game before serving out for the set.
The covers were rushed on as soon as the defending champion had wrapped up the set, with rain falling in southwest London.
The roof was closed but there was a lengthy delay featuring multiple inspections by officials and the players.
Djokovic, who was clearly unhappy with the slipperiness of the surface, at one stage emerged with a towel, which he used to rub the surface of the court to laughter from the crowd.
Members of the ground staff then used hand-held machines to try to dry the surface in farcical scenes on the world-famous court.
The match eventually resumed after a delay of almost 90 minutes, with the Centre Court roof re-opened.
Djokovic, seeking to match Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, was unfazed by the delay, breaking in the first game of the second set to establish an iron grip on the match, repeating the feat to seal the set.
Cachin, ranked 68th, dug deep in the third set, with neither player able to force a break in the early evening sunshine.
Djokovic was immediately on top in the tie-break, surging into a 6-2 lead and he wrapped up the match after two hours and 12 minutes when Cachin netted.
“Probably (the weirdest match I’ve had), but in a good way,” he said in his on-court interview. “I think it was definitely frustrating for the crowd waiting for us to come out on court.
– ‘Temple of tennis’ –
“The conditions were not great under the roof — it was still slippery. This is the holy grail, the temple of tennis. This court really is something special. When I come out, I usually come out with racquets, not towels.”
Djokovic, 36, said he was delighted to be back at the All England Club as he bids to equal Roger Federer’s mark of eight titles.
“What a second home to have,” he said after his 29th consecutive tour-level win on grass.
“It doesn’t get much better than Wimbledon in terms of history and tradition.
“It was always the dream to win it and a childhood dream came true in 2011. I connected with that young boy growing up in Serbia to come here and win it. It is a wonderful feeling to be here.”
Djokovic became the first man to win 23 Grand Slam titles by triumphing at Roland Garros last month.
He faces Australia’s Jordan Thompson in the Wimbledon second round as he chases the first calendar Grand Slam in men’s tennis since 1969.
