Novak Djokovic commenced his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title with a demanding three-hour, 12-minute victory over China's Wu Yibing in the first round of Wimbledon.
Djokovic secured the opening set with a solitary break of serve. The second set remained closely contested, with Wu eventually breaking Djokovic's serve at 6-5 to level the match. The third set featured intense baseline rallies and tested Djokovic's endurance, as he and Wu exchanged powerful groundstrokes. Despite occasional moments of frustration, Djokovic embraced the atmosphere, even encouraging the crowd's noise before clinching the set on his fourth set point.
In the fourth set, Djokovic faced pressure, fending off six break points before achieving a decisive break at 4-4. He then served out the match to secure his progression.
"He put me under a lot of pressure," Djokovic commented after the match. "He definitely surprised me with the level of every shot he had in his game from his return serves, forehand, backhand. At some points he didn't really have a weakness."
Djokovic celebrated his victory by mimicking playing a violin, a gesture dedicated to his daughter. Wu departed the court to a vociferous ovation from the crowd.
Djokovic's next opponent will be Stefanos Tsitsipas. The two players have met in two previous Grand Slam finals, with Djokovic winning at the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.