WIMBLEDON, England -- Novak Djokovic overcame a wobbly start to win his opening match at Wimbledon.
The two-time defending champion was 0-for-7 converting break points in the first set, which he lost to 19-year-old British wild card Jack Draper. Djokovic slipped several times on the grass but hit 25 aces and rallied to win 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
Djokovic took two tumbles onto his backside in the first set, losing his footing on the slick grass behind the baseline. This was his first competitive singles match on the surface since edging Roger Federer in the 2019 final after saving two championship points.
"To be honest, I don't recall falling this many times on the court,'' Djokovic said with a laugh. "Well, quite slippery, whether it's because the roof is closed or it was raining quite a lot the last few days, I don't know.''
Draper broke for a 2-1 lead, helped by Djokovic's double fault, missed forehand and flubbed volley, and held on for that set.
Barely.
Djokovic accumulated seven break points in the initial set: one the first time Draper served, two the next time and four the fourth time, a game the left-hander escaped with the help of two aces in a row at 125 mph and 117 mph.
A 125 mph service winner gave Draper that set, and he shook his racket, then pumped his right fist.
The crowd roared.
And two hours later, it was all over. Djokovic broke early in each of the remaining sets. He cleaned up his act considerably, going from just six winners and nine unforced errors in the opening set to a combined 41 winners and 15 unforced errors the rest of the way.
Draper is ranked 253rd and was making his main-draw Grand Slam debut.
"He definitely deserves a round of applause. I mean, he's a youngster,'' Djokovic said about Draper. "Walking onto Wimbledon Centre Court, for him for the first time, I think he has done extremely well. He carried himself very maturely on the court.''
Djokovic is seeking his sixth Wimbledon title and a record-tying 20th major title. He's halfway to sweeping the Grand Slams in 2021.
The match was played under the retractable roof on Centre Court because of rain that delayed the start of play on outer courts.
Capacity was limited to 50% because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the crowd still gave both players enthusiastic support.
"It feels great seeing everyone and being back at probably the most special, most sacred tennis court in the world,'' said the top-seeded Djokovic, who is halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam, after trophies at the Australian Open in February and the French Open two weeks ago.
"Alongside many other players, I was very sad last year that Wimbledon was canceled,'' he said, referring to the first time it wasn't contested since World War II. "They were very difficult times for everyone, but I'm really glad that the sport is back. Hopefully you guys have enjoyed it and you will enjoy it in the next couple weeks.''
Sixteen singles matches at Wimbledon were postponed until Tuesday because of rain, which has delayed the start of play on the outer courts.
Six men's matches and 10 women's matches were called off. They included five-time champion Venus Williams against Mihaela Buzarnescu, and No. 10-seeded Denis Shapovalov against Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Play is underway on Centre Court and Court 1, each of which has a retractable roof.
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