Novak Djokovic will open his Wimbledon campaign against Wu Yibing on Monday at 12 p.m. ET, a first-round match that puts the seven-time champion back on Centre Court for the 139th edition of Wimbledon. Djokovic last won the title in 2022, and the matchup gives viewers an early look at one of the tournament’s biggest names as play gets underway in London.
The match is part of a Monday slate that already includes Jannik Sinner against Miomir Kecmanovic on Centre Court and Aryna Sabalenka against Teodora Kostovic, but Djokovic remains the name drawing the sharpest attention because of what he has already done at Wimbledon and how much interest follows him now. Wu said the task in front of him in a simple way: Novak is the GOAT.
For readers looking to watch, Djokovic against Wu will air on and stream on DIRECTV and fuboTV, both of which offer free trials. That makes the meeting easy to find at the exact moment the tournament begins to stretch into its first day, with Monday’s conditions listed at 20 degrees Celsius, or 68 Fahrenheit, and the temperature forecast to rise to 24 C, or 75 F.
The opening day also brought one of the tournament’s bigger absences. Jack Draper withdrew ahead of his match against Taylor Fritz on Tuesday because of an arm injury, leaving him ranked No. 131 instead of taking the court in the spot that had been set for him. That kind of change is part of the early noise at a major, and it is one reason the Djokovic-Wu match stands out: it is scheduled, it is confirmed, and it is the match viewers can actually plan around.
There is still plenty unknown about how the first round will unfold, but not about the immediate stakes. Djokovic and Wu are set to play Monday at 12 p.m. ET, and for a champion who last lifted the Wimbledon trophy in 2022, the next step is simple: handle the opener and move on. Serena Williams also enters the week with her own return in view, opening singles play Tuesday against Maya Joint of Australia for the first time in nearly four years and later pairing with Venus Williams in doubles.
