Djokovic lost the first set at Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic entered the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2023, after defeating Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(6), 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4 in the fourth round on July 10.

Before facing Djokovic, Hurkacz had not lost a single service game since the start of the tournament. The Polish player maintained this record despite losing two tiebreak sets on July 9, before the match was postponed to today due to the organizers' "curfew" (11 p.m., London time). When the match resumed on July 10, Hurkacz continued to successfully hold service games in the third set, and also won the first return game of the match to take the match to a fourth set.

Hurkacz's 21-game winning streak ended in the fourth set when he failed to save a third break point in game 7. It was also the only service game Hurkacz lost at the tournament. The 17th seed lost the fourth set 4-6 and was eliminated from Wimbledon by Djokovic.

Djokovic (right) shakes hands with Hurkacz after their Wimbledon fourth-round match on Centre Court on July 10. Photo: Reuters — Djokovic (right) shakes hands with Hurkacz after their Wimbledon fourth-round match on Centre Court on July 10. Photo: *Reuters*

The match did not see many rallies, as Hurkacz served so well. The Polish player had 33 aces in the match, winning 81% of first-ball points. Djokovic also had 18 aces and winning 89% of first-ball points.

Djokovic has won 11 straight tiebreaks at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He won the first two sets in a row, even though his opponent won the mini-break first. In the first set, Hurkacz even had three set points when leading 6-3 in the nerve-wracking match, but lost five points in a row and lost 6-8. Djokovic admitted he was lucky in the tiebreak and said the match could have gone differently if his opponent hadn't missed the opportunity at the decisive moment.

Djokovic lost the first set at Wimbledon — Main events of the Djokovic - Hurkacz match on July 10.

"I don't remember the last time I had such a hard time returning," Djokovic said after the match. "He serves so accurately and powerfully, he's one of the best servers in the world. It wasn't really a fun match for me. It was so difficult to read his serve on the fastest surface in the sport ."

Djokovic has won 32 consecutive matches at Wimbledon. His next opponent is Andrey Rublev, who is in the quarterfinals for the first time. The two players have met four times, with Djokovic winning three, including a three-set clash at the Australian Open earlier this year.

Vy Anh

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