Novak Djokovic beat Wu Yibing 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 on Centre Court at Wimbledon’s opening day on June 29, setting up a second-round meeting with Stefanos Tsitsipas on Wednesday, July 1. The match extended to nearly three hours, with Wu winning the second set and pushing Djokovic into several difficult moments. Djokovic had not played competitive tennis since losing in the third round at the French Open, and the lack of match time was visible in spells.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion holds a 12-2 head-to-head record over Tsitsipas. Their two most significant matches came at the 2021 French Open and 2023 Australian Open finals — both of which Djokovic won in five sets after trailing two sets to one.

What the Wu Match Revealed

Djokovic described the opening win as “challenging.” Wu is a capable player on grass and showed it in the second set, but Djokovic settled as the match developed and won the third, fourth, and fifth sets on his terms. His serve held up, his backhand remained one of the best shots in tennis, and he closed out the fifth set without losing it.

He emerged from Centre Court in an unusual blazer — a gesture that drew comparisons to the late Roger Federer’s famous Wimbledon jackets. Whatever the symbolism, the performance underneath suggested a player who still knows how to win even when he’s not at his sharpest.

Tsitsipas on Grass

Tsitsipas is a capable performer on grass and has reached the Wimbledon fourth round in the past. His serve is an asset on the surface, and his forehand can generate the pace that makes grass-court points shorter. Against Djokovic, his best chance lies in the first two sets — if he can build momentum early, the weight of a five-set match on an older player’s legs becomes a factor.

Opta’s model gives Djokovic an 85 percent chance of winning the match, reflecting the lopsided head-to-head and Djokovic’s status as the tournament’s second seed. But Tsitsipas has beaten Djokovic twice before, and one of those wins came at Wimbledon in 2023, when he took the opening two sets before Djokovic recovered.

When and How to Watch

The Djokovic-Tsitsipas match is scheduled for Wednesday, July 1. Start time on Centre Court is expected to be mid-afternoon London time, approximately 6 a.m. ET. In the UK, coverage is on BBC and TNT Sports. In the US, ESPN carries the match on cable, and ESPN+ allows streaming.

A Djokovic win on Wednesday puts him into the third round and a favourable-looking quarter of the draw, where his most likely challengers before a potential semi-final remain unseeded or lower-seeded players.

Djokovic at 39, rusty but through, versus Tsitsipas on Wednesday is the kind of second-round match that Wimbledon fans will clear their schedule for.