Here we are! today the much awaited Wimbledon 2023 has started. This year there is great expectation for both the men’s and women’s circuits with Novak Djokovic and Elena Rybakina intent on defending the title.
The man to beat, in the men’s singles, will be the Serbian. Nole despite not being seeded number one, having been the defending champion on the lawns of the All England Club since 2017 (if we consider that in 2020 the English slam was canceled due to the issue relating to the COVID-19 pandemic – ed.), he is currently playing on Center Court, against the South American Pedro Cachin, a match also suspended due to rain. With the use of the retractable roof.
The path of the Serbian, while presenting various pitfalls, does not seem, at least at the starting line, to give him such difficulties as to be able to shake off the palm of favorite for the final title. The tennis player from Belgrade, as for some years now, showed up in London without any preparation tournaments behind him, preferring not to participate in the 500 tournaments in Halle and Queen’s.
Only one player can say he stopped Djokovic on the grass
After the Australian Open and Roland Garros, Djokovic will try to establish himself for the 8th time in the oldest Slam in the world. A victory that would allow him to catch up with Roger Federer, currently leading the rankings in titles on the All England Lawns grass, and rise to 24 Slams in the total count, moving to two distances from Rafael Nadal, stopped at 22. As mentioned, Djokovic is almost unanimously considered the number one favorite to win yet another major.
Some data confirm this thesis shared by many. The 36 year-old tennis star has won more than all the current top 20 player at Wimbledon: 86 matches compared to 85 in the group, but above all of the 128 men present in the men’s singles draw, only one player beat him on grass: Andy Murray.
Precisely in the final of the London Grand Slam in 2013. Three players have a favorable head-to-head against the Serbian on other surfaces: Nick Kyrgios (2-1), Holger Rune (2-1) and Jiri Vesely (2-0).