Novak Djokovic begins his latest Wimbledon title defence against Kwon Soon-woo on Monday.
As is tradition, the reigning men’s singles champion gets Centre Court proceedings at the 2022 tournament underway in the early afternoon.
This could be the last time we see Djokovic at a Grand Slam this season, with his unchanged stance on the Covid-19 vaccine meaning as it stands he won’t be able to play at the US Open later this summer.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner has not played a warm-up tournament on grass this year and last competed on the French Open clay, where he was beaten by eventual champion Rafael Nadal in a thrilling four-set quarter-final contest last month.
Djokovic is a seven-time champion at the All England Club, winning each of the last three titles on offer, seeing off Matteo Berrettini in straight sets in last year’s final.
The Serbian will now have eyes firmly fixed on bridging the gap to great rival Nadal’s 22 major triumphs, stopping the Spaniard from extending that lead further and moving ever closer to an incredible Calendar Grand Slam. However, Wimbledon being stripped of its ranking points over the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players amid the war in Ukraine means Djokovic will lose the maximum 2,000 points he gained with his 2021 victory.
The latest west London journey begins against Kwon, the South Korean world No75 who has never previously been beyond the third round of a major tournament.
Djokovic vs Kwon date and start time
Djokovic vs Kwon is the first match scheduled for Centre Court on Monday (June 27), so should get underway just after 1:30pm BST.
That meeting is followed by Emma Raducanu’s clash with Alison Van Uytvanck and Andy Murray versus James Duckworth.
How to watch Djokovic vs Kwon
TV channel: On Monday, the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage begins on the Red Button from 11am, with the BBC One programme commencing at 1:45pm.
Live stream: TV licence fee-payers can also stream all the tennis action live online over the next fortnight via the BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app.
Live blog: You can also follow all the action as it happens with Standard Sport’s live blog, run by Matt Verri at Wimbledon.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Djokovic won the only previous meeting between these two players on home soil last April, easing to a 6-1 6-3 victory in Belgrade to reach the quarter-finals of the Serbia Open.
Djokovic vs Kwon prediction
Djokovic’s stance on vaccines and vocal opposition to the Russian ban has again been making headlines in the build-up to Wimbledon.
He remains the man to beat on the court at SW19, however, with a lack of a warm-up tournament on grass unlikely to hinder his progress.
Kwon, by contrast, has only ever won one match at Wimbledon and not managed to get past the second round.
Djokovic should cruise through his opener without too much issue.
