Defending champion Djokovic passes 1st round in Wimbledon

By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp

ANKARA (AA) - Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic on Monday defeated Jack Draper, 19, in the first round of Wimbledon 2021.

The 34-year-old moved ahead with 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 sets in London, ceding only one set to his young opponent

But the world number one was impressed with his rival, saying: “He definitely deserves a round of applause. He’s a youngster, only 19; I hadn’t seen him play too much prior to Queen’s that he played pretty well – won a couple of matches against high-ranked players."

The defending champion said the young talent handled himself extremely well considering this was his first time at Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

Jack Draper, Britain’s number seven, is ranked 253th in the world.

The world number one in the rankings, Djokovic, has 19 Grand Slam championships to his name, including five Wimbledon titles, in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019.