Defending Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic became the first player to win 80 matches at all four Grand Slams on Monday while teenage star Carlos Alcaraz battled over five sets to make the second round. 

Six-time champion and top seed Djokovic saw off South Korea’s Kwon Soo-woo 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

But 20-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic was made to work after falling a break down in the opening two sets against his 81st-ranked opponent - losing the second of those.

“Now we have got to 80 wins, let’s get to 100,” said Djokovic, who praised an opponent whose love of karaoke led to an appearance on the South Korean version of TV hit “The Masked Singer” last month.

Djokovic, 35, is attempting to win a fourth successive Wimbledon title and join a select group.

In the Open era, only Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer have managed such a streak at the All England Club.

Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

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