Novak Djokovic begins Wimbledon defence with strange return to ‘second home’

The seven-time Wimbledon champion resumed his complicated relationship with Centre Court with a straight-sets win over Pedro Cachin

Novak Djokovic tried his best to keep the crowd entertained. With the roof closed over Centre Court and the grass taking longer than expected to dry after the lightest drops of rain, the defending champion emerged from the locker room with towel in hand and took matters into his own hands: dabbing the surface and then wafting the air in performative exasperation. It drew the politest of Wimbledon chuckles. An hour passed.

When the roof opened again, the seven-time Wimbledon champion returned to business, advancing to the second round with a clean, clinical victory over the Argentine Pedro Cachin. Djokovic emerged having barely taken a scratch and any sense of jeopardy this match possessed vanished when the Serbian resumed by breaking Cachin after the restart. Djokovic seemed to know it, too. There was more laughter as Djokovic pretended to stagger over following three consecutive lets. “No, but seriously,” Djokovic then seemed to say. He replied with an ace and duly held serve.

The afternoon may have gotten a little weird but the result was never in doubt, and the statistics speak for themselves: Djokovic’s victory saw him extend his winning run at Wimbledon to 29 matches, he has not lost at SW19 since 2017, he has not lost on Centre Court since 2013 - on Friday, it will be ten years exactly. If he defends his title this fortnight and claims a fifth consecutive men’s title, he will equal Roger Federer’s record tally and he will share a throne with the King of Wimbledon. It is currently hard to imagine a scenario in which that does not happen.

Djokovic attempts to dry the grass with a towel (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

It was pointed out to Djokovic afterwards that Wimbledon must feel like a second home. “What a second home to have,” he replied, but what a strange one as well. It’s fair to say he has not always had the easiest relationship with Centre Court over the years. Djokovic was never the crowd’s favourite during his battles with Federer, Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray, and his tendency to strangle the life out of matches and his opponents naturally leads to fans siding with the underdog. Here, Cachin’s winners or saved break points were met by thumping roars, eclipsing the response to the unerring accuracy of Djokovic’s serve and groundstrokes.

Yet the longer Djokovic’s dominance extends, the more respect he also commands. Make no mistake, there is something here. What is often underappreciated is just how popular Djokovic is once he steps out onto Centre Court. It seems to grow every year and it plays into how relaxed the 36-year-old has appeared since returning to the All England Club. Part of that is how comfortable he is as the overwhelming favourite to win the men’s title, knowing that no one else - with the exception of two-time winner Murray - can begin to even compete with what he has achieved here. Djokovic came into the tournament with more Wimbledon wins that the rest of the top-20 put together. Are they even playing the same sport?

But there are also moments that remind you that Djokovic will never fully get what he has so often craved even if he does join Federer on eight titles a week on Sunday, As the first tournament he watched as a boy in Serbia, Wimbledon and Centre Court holds a special place in Djokovic’s heart. That he was not viewed in the same way once becoming champion is a fascinating part of what fuels his character. You still hear cries of “Roger!” during his matches, as if a constant reminder of a battle he may not ever win.

This moment came as Djokovic scrambled to reach a drop shot from Cachin, flicking it delicately over the net to brilliantly catch the outside line. Cachin scampered to meet the backhand, but was unable to keep it in  play. Cachin won the point, though, as Djokovic’s momentum had carried him into the net, even as he attempted to halt his balance. There was no outburst, only a long stare as Djokovic wagged his finger at the umpire and shook his head. It still drew a low, hum of boos -  perhaps just a moment that peeled back a layer of where Djokovic truly sits on Centre Court, even with his record.

Djokovic lost the point after falling into the net before the ball was out (Getty Images)

Poor Pedro Cachin, playing in only his second tour-level tournament on grass, did not stand a chance, although the Argentine performed admirably and made the first set more competitive than anyone was expecting. He broke Djokovic in his second service game and held his own in the early baseline exchanges - doing enough to squeeze out some errors while Djokovic showed some early rustiness. There was never any jeopardy, though. Djokovic broke straight back and from there took the set before the rain arrived.

When the contest eventually resumed, Djokovic immediately took Cachin to deuce on his service game, lodged his returns right onto the baseline, forced the double fault and jumped at the break point as the 28-year-old crumbled a backhand into the net. When Djokovic sensed the chance to break again and take the second set, he fired a clean inside-out winner and followed it up with another ruthless forehand return into Cachin’s feet.

In the third, Cachin saved serve twice to force the tiebreak - which in itself felt like a cruel joke: Djokovic doesn’t lose tiebreaks. The defending champion didn’t lose this one and a complicated afternoon ended with a familiar tone of the inevitable.