Wimbledon starts with the participation of nine Argentines. One is Pedro Cachínwho will have the opportunity to enter world tennis history this Monday when he faces the Serbian Novak Djokovic on the opening day of the third Grand Slam of the season.
The Cordovan, one of the nine Argentines who will be present at the tournament this year, will be challenged to hand the Serb their first loss in the tournament since 2017 when they kick off their first round match at 9.30 in the center court del All England Club.
Djokovicseeded second, will look for his fifth consecutive title on the London grass to stretch his collection to eight and equal the record holder, the Swiss Roger Federer.
The Balkan, champion this year in Australia and Roland Garros, will also try stretch to 24 the number of Grand Slam titles with the aim of expanding the distance as the greatest historical winner of tournaments of this magnitude, ahead of the Spanish Rafael Nadal (22), inactive due to injury, and Federer (20), already retired.
Cachín67 in the ATP world ranking, will have his first Wimbledon experienceexcited to end the reign of the Serb, who once again came up as an exclusive candidate after winning the 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 editions (in 2020 it was not played due to the coronavirus pandemic).
His main threat is the number 1 in the world, the Spanish Carlos Alcarazwho will debut against the Frenchman Jeremy Chardy (534) on Tuesday, the same day that the greatest Argentine hope will do: Francisco Cerundolonew champion in Eastbourne.
This Monday, in the last turn of the central court, his brother will appear John Manuel Certainly before the italian Jannik Sinner -seeded eighth- in his senior tournament debut.
The first to go into action, starting at 7:00, will be Nadia Podoroska and Sebastian Baez. Rosario (78) will face the Czech Tereza Martincova (113).
The Buenos Aires Sebastian Baez (44), champion this year at the Córdoba Open, will face the Chilean Tomas Barrios Vera (133) on court number 6, where Thomas Etcheverry (32) will close the programming of the day against the Spanish Bernabe Zapata Miralles (50).
The man from La Plata arrives in London strengthened after having reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. If he wins tomorrow he will go to the second round with the Finn Emil Ruusuvuori (45) or the Swiss Stan Wawrinka (87).
In the third turn of court 7, Diego Schwartzman (98) will assume a risky debut against the dangerous Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic (41) with the hope of overcoming the first barrier as has happened in the last four editions.
The “Little” is one of the most experienced Argentines in the tournament along with Guido Pella (334), quarterfinalist in 2019, who this Monday will be the Croatian’s rival Borna Coric (14) in the last match of field 14.
Fran Cerúndolo and Fede Coria make their debut on Tuesday
For Tuesday will be the premieres of Francisco Cerundolo (18) before the portuguese Nuno Borges (68) and from Rosario Federico Coria (104) against the Belarusian Ilya Ivashka (102).
Fran Cerundolo ignited the illusion in the British “major” after being crowned on Saturday at the Eastbourne ATPwhich meant the first grass title for an Argentine in 28 years.
The man from Buenos Aires aspires to join the column behind the man from Cordoba David Nalbandian and the tandilense Juan Martin del Potrothe last great Argentine protagonists in Wimbledon.
“King David” was one step away from the title in 2002 after losing the final with Australian Lleyton Hewitt and the “Torre de Tandil” reached sowing in 2013 (lost to Djokovic) and rooms in 2018 (fell to Nadal).