Wimbledon 2023 LIVE: Novak Djokovic vs Pedro Cachin latest score, updates from Centre Court
Novak Djokovic begins the defence of his Wimbledon title this afternoon as he faces Pedro Cachin in the opening match on Centre Court. The Serbian beat Nick Kyrgios in the final 12 months ago to pick up a seventh title at SW19, and another successful fortnight this year would see him match Roger Federer’s tally of eight.
Should he do so, the calendar Grand Slam will enter a final leg later this summer in New York, with the 36-year-old already winning the Australian Open and French Open this year. Carlos Alcaraz sits top of the world rankings, but it’s Djokovic who is a strong favourite for yet more grass-court success.
Djokovic has never lost in the opening round here, though has dropped a set in the first round in each of the past two years. He comes up against a man in Cachin though who is still looking for his first main-draw victory at Wimbledon. Follow all the action from Centre Court with Standard Sport’s LIVE blog below!
Live updates
Possible route to the final
Never too soon to start considering Djokovic’s path to the Wimbledon final – here’s what it could look like:
R1: Cachin
R2: Nakashima
R3: Etcheverry
R4: Hurkacz
QF: Rublev
SF: Sinner
F: Alcaraz
Not long now!
This is your 30-minute warning.
Djokovic and Cachin will shortly be making their way to Centre Court – fair to say one of them has slightly more experience of doing so than the other.
On Court 1, Iga Swiatek is out and warming up ahead of her match against Zhu Lin.
No repeat of 2022 final
Novak Djokovic will not come up against Nick Kyrgios again this year, after the Australian withdrew from Wimbledon last night.
Kyrgios, who was beaten by Djokovic in last year’s final, released a statement explaining that he had been recently diagnosed with a torn ligament having suffered from wrist pain.
The 30th seed was forced to accept that he did not have enough time to recover from the issue before he had been due to face David Goffin in a first-round match on No1 Court this afternoon.
So far today…
No play yet on Centre Court or Court 1, but plenty of action around Wimbledon already.
Britain’s Harriet Dart took the opening set against Diane Parry but has had a disastrous time of it since then, losing the second 6-0. Big response needed in the decider.
Elsewhere seventh seed Andrey Rublev is closing in on a straight-sets win, while Jessica Pegula is in a tie-break with Lauren Davis as she looks to wrap up victory.
Djokovic and Murray together again
Andy Murray was in upbeat mood after a Wimbledon practice session with Novak Djokovic, a decade on from when the pair met in the final at SW19.
The first of Murray’s two Wimbledon wins came in 2013 with a straight-sets victory over Djokovic, as the home favourite ended the 77-year wait for a British man to win the singles title.
Heading into this year’s championships, Djokovic is the defending champion and heavy favourite, as he looks to lift the Wimbledon trophy for an eighth time and in doing so continue his bid for a career Grand Slam.
Murray is unseeded and has not made it beyond the third round of a Slam since reaching the quarter-finals here six years ago, but arrives in upbeat mood after picking up titles in Surbiton and Nottingham on the Challenger Tour.
He played a practice set with Djokovic on Saturday, commenting afterwards that he “did well”, and the 36-year-old is confident that the next fortnight could be a successful one.
“I feel good,” Murray said. “I’ve obviously played lots of matches. Physically I’ve been feeling good. I’m ready to go.
“I want to go out there and perform at a level that I’m happy with. I do feel like I’m in a really, really good position to do that. I have the experience at this tournament. There’s only one player in the draw that has more experience of playing here than me, which is Novak.
Djokovic the grass-court king
As a child, Novak Djokovic always dreamed of winning Wimbledon above all the Grand Slams, despite not setting foot on a grass court until the age of 17.
Despite being a latecomer to the surface, it is here where he has found himself perhaps most at ease.
He last lost a match on Centre Court in the 2013 final against Andy Murray, and it is hard to look much beyond him as the men’s singles winner at the end of the coming fortnight.
Doing so would mean a fifth straight title at SW19 and put him level with Roger Federer in the record books with eight Wimbledon crowns.
It would also complete part three of the calendar Slam, something he has long aspired to but never managed to pull off.
Read Matt Majendie’s full Wimbledon preview here!
Standard Sport prediction
Djokovic to win in straight sets. Shock.
He’s dropped a set in the opening round in each of the past two years, before eventually strolling through, so Cachin will be hoping he can take advantage of any slow start.
But after a perfect Grand Slam year to date, Djokovic will surely be on it right from the start and should ease into the second round in routine fashion.
How to watch Djokovic vs Cachin
TV and live stream: BBC Two have full coverage of Wimbledon today, running through to 7pm BST this evening.
Djokovic vs Cachin is likely to be on BBC One, when the broadcast begins at 1:45pm. All the action in this match and throughout the fortnight can be watched on the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer.
Live blog: Or… you can follow it all right here with us!
Good afternoon!
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Novak Djokovic vs Pedro Cachin!
It’s the opening day of Wimbledon and it’s the defending champion, as ever, kicking things off on Centre Court this afternoon.
Djokovic remains firmly on track for the calendar Grand Slam after wins in Melbourne and Paris earlier this year, and now returns to SW19 looking for his eighth Wimbledon title.
We’ll have all the latest updates and build-up ahead of the action getting underway at 1:30pm BST. Stay with us!
