Two things that stood out in Novak Djokovic's 1R win over Pedro Cachin at Wimbledon
Second seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia beat Pedro Cachin of Argentina 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(4), in the first round of Wimbledon 2023 on Monday (July 3). The match lasted for two hours and 12 minutes, as the 36-year-old Serb managed to prevail without much difficulty.
It was Djokovic's 29th win in a row at the hallowed courts of the All England Club, as he seeks a jaw-dropping fifth consecutive title there. Cachin fought well on the day, but Djokovic was too good for him.
On that note, let us take a look at two things that stood out in the match:
#1. Djokovic feasted on Cachin's second serve:
Djokovic put a lot of pressure on Cachin's second serve throughout the match. He had 11 break points in the match, of which he could converted four. He broke the Argentine twice in each of the first two sets to race to a 2-0 lead.
Cachin was able to win only 47% of the points on his second serve in the match, while the Serb himself managed a far more respectable 68%.
Cachin's tendency to hit his shots long played to his disadvantage, as he committed quite a few unforced errors. However, both players kept hitting aces at a reasonable frequency to bail themselves out of trouble. Cachin's angled serves won him a lot of points, while Djokovic matched him with 13 aces of his own.
#2. Both players displayed consummate net-skills:
Both Djokovic and Cachin were good at the net and their sumptuous volleys made for an enthralling spectacle. There were a few tasty exchanges at the net, but Djokovic yet again proved to be the superior of the two in those exchanges.
The Serb also used his backhand slice really well to add spin to his shots. However, the Argentine's decision to follow suit backfired, as the Serb managed to dispatch the latter's slices for outright winners at times.
Moreover, Djokovic also used his crosscourt forehand extensively in the match to make Cachin stretch towards his right repeatedly. The Serb should have engaged the Argentine in crosscourt backhand exchanges more often, as he seemed to dominate whenever he did so.
Cachin held his serve throughout the third set, but Djokovic was again much better in the tie-break. He raced to a 3-0 lead and then had four match points at 6-2. Cachin was able to save a couple of them, but the 23-time Grand Slam champion converted the third to seal the deal.