Wimbledon 2022: Djokovic, Jabeur, Raducanu and Murray in action on day one – live!
Djokovic #Djokovic
Alcaraz will ultimately have too much though, won’t he? I reckon your bet will be alive into the second round, at least.
Wimbledon is turning to big data to help improve fans’ tennis knowledge, after discovering even ticket holders at the Championships were not aware of most of the players in the game.
Struff and Alcaraz are locked at 3-3 in the second set after Struff took the first 6-4.
That was a LOT of rain falling on SW19 a while ago … thankfully there are now blue skies across south west London so things are looking up for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
At deuce on the Djokovic serve, the Serb produces a sensational lob in response to a very good volley by Kwon which probably would have won the point against a lesser player. Djokovic holds one hand aloft and quickly closes out the game to make it 1-1 in the fourth set.
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Alcaraz edges ahead in the second set against Struff, it’s 2-1 and with serve on No 1 Court.
Djokovic wins the third set against Kwon! The score now stands at 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. The South Korean has given an extremely good account of himself here but it looks as if Djokovic is going to get it done.
The BBC now shows a shot of Emma Raducanu limbering up for her imminent appearance on Centre Court. She is next up, and will face Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium, who is ranked No 46 in the world. Andy Murray will be in action later, too against James Duckworth of Australia, the world No 74. Murray himself is ranked 52.
Updated at 10.36 EDT
Djokovic now forces two break points against Kwon and he seizes the first of them, opening up the court with a big, deep forehand. Djokovic suddenly finds another gear, as he so often does, winning four points in a row in that game, and he will now serve for the third set at 5-3.
Updated at 10.30 EDT
Struff takes the first set against Alcaraz! A lovely bit of serve-volleying action from the German helps to close out the first set, 6-4. He’s ranked 155 in the world, the 32-year-old, and he now has a foothold against the No 5 seed.
Updated at 10.27 EDT
They had a rain delay up at Headingley, too, but it didn’t stop England sealing an impressive 3-0 series win against New Zealand:
Struff, eventually, closes out the game and makes it 5-3 to Alcaraz must serve to stay in the first set on No 1 Court.
The rangy figure of Struff is aiming to make it 5-3 in the first set against Alcaraz but the Spaniard is fighting hard. He grabs a break point with an outrageous angled effort placed delicately over the net. Struff answers back with an 126mph serve and then hits a good wide one next up which Alcaraz cannot get back. It’s a big tussle for this eighth game of the first set.
On Centre Kwon continues to stay with his more illustrious opponent – it’s 2-2 in the third.
Updated at 10.16 EDT
The unfortunate people who don’t have tickets for either Centre Court or No 1 court will be doing their best to shelter from the rain at the moment. Classic English summertime scenes.
Spectators shelter from the rain. Photograph: Steven Paston/PA
Updated at 10.10 EDT
Alcaraz manages to avoid falling a double break down in the first set, holding for 3-2.
Djokovic and Kwon are level at 1-1 in the third set, and level at 1-1 in sets, too.
On No 1 Court there is a deafening sound of the rain hammering down on the retractable roof. Carlos Alcaraz (5) has fallen 3-1 behind against Jan-Lennard Struff, of Germany. Struff has taken it to deuce on the Spaniard’s serve too …
They’ve stopped for rain at the moment, of course, but Hubert Hurkacz of Poland is in trouble against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, two sets down. The score is 7-6, 6-4, 5-5. Hurkacz reached the semi-finals last year after that demolition of Roger Federer, and it would be quite a shock should he go out.
And Kwon takes the second set! No rain breaks on Centre Court, of course, with the roof closed. Djokovic hits long and Kwon pumps his fist and looks up at his team. They celebrate almost as if he’s won the match. Taking a set from Djokovic here is some achievement.
At 5-3 in the second, Kwon is serving for the second set against Djokovic.
Meanwhile, rain stops play after Norrie passes up three match points against Andujar. At 6-0, 7-6(3), 5-3 and deuce, the Johannesburg-born player is going to have to wait to close this out. The rain is forecast to hang around for an hour or so.
Norries forces it to deuce on Andujar’s serve and then digs out a superb forehand on to his opponent’s toes and he has match point … it’s a chance to return second serve, too, but he mishits a big booming forehand from the back of the court and it bounces out.
“Thousands of tennis fans will cheer on Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray at Wimbledon today as the tournament returns to full capacity for the first time in three years.
“The grounds will be packed with up to 42,000 people each day after crowds were slashed by 50% last year due to the Covid pandemic.”
Djokovic belts a forehand just wide and Kwon holds for 5-2 in the second set. Djokovic seemed to be taking a stranglehold in the first set but this is impressive stuff from Kwon to put his opponent under such pressure.
Norrie moves a step closer, to 5-3 in the third set, and is a game away from a straight-sets victory against the world No 100.
Simon Cambers spoke to Matteo Berrettini, the beaten finalist in the men’s singles last year:
“Sometimes it takes a while before the scale of an achievement such as reaching the final of Wimbledon for the first time sinks in. For Matteo Berrettini it came within a few hours. Having attended the Euro 2020 final and seen Italy defeat England on penalties, Berrettini joined the team on the pitch for the celebrations. They told him they had been glued to the television earlier in the day, willing him on against his opponent, Novak Djokovic.”
Updated at 09.40 EDT
Against Djokovic on Centre Court, Kwon has indeed regathered himself impressively and he is now 4-1 up in the second set! Djokovic forces him to deuce in the latest game but the world No 81 serves it out and has victory in this set firmly in his sights.
One of the great things about Wimbledon, in my opinion, is that if you’re willing to queue you’ve always got a great chance of getting in. And early in the fortnight there is so much happening on the back courts, it makes for a fantastic day out. In the absence of previous Covid restrictions the famous Wimbledon queue is back:
Updated at 09.35 EDT
The impressive Tunisian wasn’t hanging around there. So much so I didn’t notice that match had finished – a straightforward victory and into the second round for the No 3 seed.
Ons Jabeur of Tunisia waves after winning. Photograph: Kieran Galvin/EPA
Updated at 10.42 EDT
Norrie has just broken Andujar’s serve and gone 3-1 in the third set against Andujar – that match is going to be over pretty quickly at this rate. Djokovic and Kwon are now 1-1 in the second set.
On Centre Court there is a break in play as it appears one of the spectators is unwell. Medics are in attendance. Djokovic paces around by his seat and takes a drink.
Updated at 09.24 EDT
In the women’s singles on Court 7, Anhelina Kalinina (seeded 29) is 4-3 up in the third set against Anna Bondar. She lost the first 4-6 and won the second 6-2.
Norrie wins that second-set tiebreak 7-3, and moves two sets to the good: 6-0, 7-6 (3). All looking good for him.
On Centre Court, Djokovic wins a fifth consecutive game to clinch the first set 6-3, and any early concerns appear to be melting away. But can Kwon regroup and put the world No 3 under pressure again?
Norrie returns to Andujar on Court 2. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
Updated at 09.24 EDT
Djokovic breaks and it’s 5-3 … he enjoys one big slice of luck in this game with a shot that flicks off the net and flops down on Kwon’s side. Aside from that, it’s classic attritional tennis from the Serb, and he wears his opponent down in the final rally until Kwon dumps a groundstroke into the net. Business as usual.
Updated at 09.16 EDT
Norrie, meanwhile, is into a second-set tiebreak with Andujar and is well in control of it at 4-1.