Serbia's Novak Djokovic touches the grass on Centre Court as he celebrates after beating Korea's Kwon Soonwoo in a men's first round singles match on day one of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Monday, June 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)Novak Djokovic became the first player in history to win 80 matches in all four Grand Slams when he defeated Kwon Soon-woo 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Centre Court on Monday for his 80th win in Wimbledon.
“At this stage of my career, I try to play my best tennis at the Grand Slams and really deliver on the most significant courts in history. Now that we have gotten to 80 [wins at Wimbledon], let’s get to a 100,” Djokovic said.
“This sport has given me everything. I owe a lot to this sport and I love it still with all my heart. I have a lot of passion for it and I am as dedicated as anybody out there. I am not one of the youngsters anymore and a lot of things have changed but the love and flame for this sport still burns in me. I’ve said this a few times before, but this court has always been special for me. It’s always been the court where I dreamed of playing and winning and all my childhood dreams came true on this court,” he said.
"Let's get to 100!"
A buoyant @DjokerNole reacts to his latest #Wimbledon victory #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/JwfjRhmvAc
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 27, 2022
80 match-wins for @DjokerNole at #Wimbledon 👏#CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/Vr7LYk5HXf
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 27, 2022
“It’s an absolute honor and pleasure to come back,” he said before signing off.
On Monday, Djkovic overcame the 81st-ranked Korean Kwon Soon-woo to reach the Wimbledon second round. The defending champion, bidding for his fourth Wimbledon title in a row, looked out-of-sorts at times against Kwon, even dropping a set to his opponent.
The quest for title number seven is off to a successful start for @DjokerNole#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/CC92zySTbX
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 27, 2022
The Korean broke Djokovic’s serve in the fourth game of the second set and went on to win it with a drop-shot and a big serve. But the Serb recovered quickly and took control of the match and successfully entered the next round.
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Djokovic was playing for the first time since losing to Rafael Nadal last month in the French Open quarterfinals.
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