Wimbledon wild-card entry outside top 100 gets Djokovic next

Published July 1, 2022 9:22 AM

By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic’s next opponent is an oft-injured guy ranked outside the top 100 and making his Grand Slam debut thanks to a wild card. And he had never won an ATP Tour match until last month. Now he has won eight in a row. Tim van Rijthoven is a 25-year-old Dutchman who has eliminated two seeded players on his way to a fourth-round matchup against No. 1 Djokovic. The latest victory for van Rijthoven came against No. 22 Nikoloz Basilashvili. That followed a win over No. 15 Reilly Opelka. Van Rijthoven will play Djokovic on Sunday.