Wimbledon 2022: Novak Djokovic on song – eventually – for 80th win in SW19

Defending champion Novak Djokovic’s opponent arrived on Centre Court with few victories to his name if you don’t count a turn on The Masked Singer in his native South Korea.

South Korea's Soonwoo Kwon pushed the reigning champ hard.

And a check on Soonwoo Kwon’s back-story turned up a questionnaire where in answer to “Worst tennis moment?” he admitted to being overawed by having to face Milos Raonic and felt “too embarrassed to stay on court”.

What was he going to be like against his most-admired fellow pro, a man going for his fourth title in a row and his 80th Wimbledon win?

Well, he masked things pretty well. If he was anxious we wouldn’t have known as he worried the super Serb for a good portion of the match, until eventually succumbing 6-3. 3-6, 6-3 6-4.

Novak Djokovic celebrates his opening-day victory at Wimbledon.

Afterwards Djokovic lamented his lack of preparation which was always bound to make him feel “a little less comfortable”, but he paid tribute to his opponent for delivering “high-quality tennis”.

Amateur psychologists would have studied Kwon’s serve to begin the tournament and concluded: “Nervous, no doubt about it.” But his second, still a bit wonky, was an ace. Then, having broken the champ, he had to hold both nerve and serve, succeeding with both. That was the first time we’d be treated to Kwon’s deft drop-shot and it wouldn’t be the last.

Then, however, Djokovic at 1-3 down would win five games in a row to claim the first set. Normal service? Not quite. Kwon built up the same lead in the second and this time wouldn’t be denied. Not even when a delay while medics attended to a spectator appeared to distract him. Nerves, schmerves.

Djokovic - by his stratospheric standards - was all over the shop. The third set featured a game of two mucked-up overheads - surely a collector’s item. The rain scudding the court roof was beginning to sound ominous for him.

Kwon continued to drop Djokovic and seemed to befuddle him from the back of the court as well. But, gaining a break, the 24-year-old couldn’t turn it to his advantage. That, agreed Djokovic who at last found his groove, proved crucial. Still, this was probably Kwon’s best tennis moment.