Novak Djokovic hasn’t played an ATP World Tour event on grass leading into Wimbledon since 2010, but he’s ready to try something new in hopes of a big run at the Aegon International in Eastbourne. 

After more than a decade at the top of the sport, Djokovic’s tournament schedule has reflected that of a man who thrives on routine and familiarity. But in his first visit to Eastbourne, the Serbian has already been enjoying the tournament amenities and charm of this seaside town.

“It’s great to visit a new place and be part of a new event. We more or less have the same schedule each year, so I don’t get to experience that too often,” said Djokovic. “There are a lot of matches and a lot of people coming out to watch and support the players. You can feel the appreciation for tennis that they have here. They love this event, so it’s obviously a pleasure to be here.”

Comparatively short on match play compared to recent seasons, Djokovic took a late wild card and believes the on-court time this week can only benefit him. The World No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, who plays qualifier Vasek Pospisil in his opening round, has never won a grass-court event outside of Wimbledon. He reached the Queen’s Club final in 2008 (l. Nadal) and Halle in 2009 (l.Haas).

“I was fortunate to have lots of matches and lots of success in the first part of the year over the years, especially on the clay courts and always reaching the final stages of Roland Garros. And because of the old schedule, we had a week less (on grass), which was a bit challenging obviously coming from the slowest to the fastest surface in the sport. It’s a big shift in only a few days,” said Djokovic. “I knew I wanted to play one this year, but thought Queen’s and Halle would be too early for me. That’s the reason why I came to Eastbourne. And it’s a new place, so it does give me that extra motivation to be here.”

Djokovic won’t have Andre Agassi in his camp for Eastbourne, but the 1992 Wimbledon champion will be with him at SW19 for as long as he remains in the tournament. The Serbian believes they got off to a positive start in their coaching arrangement for Roland Garros and is eager to see it continue.

“The eight or nine days that we spent together at Roland Garros were very valuable for me to get to know him and learn from him. We shared a lot of experiences on and off the court. Having him around is not only great for myself, but also for tennis,” said Djokovic. “I can see how much he cares about the game and how much he knows it. It was very interesting to hear his perspective on tennis before and now, how he analyses my game and what he sees with things to improve moving forward. I’m just looking forward to spending as much quality time with Andre as I can.” 

Last year’s Wimbledon fairytale story Marcus Willis moved closer to another round of heroics on Monday, advancing into the second round of qualifying on Monday along with eight #NextGenATP players.

The Brit took time off from his tennis coaching job last year to play Wimbledon pre-qualifying and earn a wild card into the qualifying draw. He then qualified for the main draw and won his first-round match before falling to Roger Federer on Centre Court.

This year in Roehampton, Willis produced more memorable moments with a qualifying wild card by scoring a 7-5, 7-5 win over 31^st seed Andrej Martin of Slovakia. Next up for him is a fellow British wild card in Liam Broady.

In an all-#NextGenATP battle, Elias Ymer of Sweden defeated Duckhee Lee of Korea 6-3, 6-2. It was Ymer’s first match on grass since qualifying for the Wimbledon main draw two years ago.

“If I’m playing a top-ranked guy, I really don’t know what to expect. But the (#NextGenATP) guys, I’ve seen (Duckhee) since I was 12, so it’s kind of a family kind of feeling. You relax more,” said Ymer to Wimbledon.com. “It feels like it’s on my level if I’m playing one of the young guys.”

#NextGenATP player Stefanos Tsitsipas scored the upset of the day by defeating second seed Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. The 18-year-old from Greece will take on Yannick Hanfmann of Germany in the next round.

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev continued his grass-court prowess with a convincing 6-3, 6-3 victory over Joao Domingues of Portugal. The 18-year-old #NextGen ATP Russian reached his first ATP World Tour quarter-final last week in Halle.

Other #NextGenATP players to move into the second round of qualifying are 12^th seed Stefan Kozlov of the U.S., 19^th seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, 21^st seed Taylor Fritz of the U.S., 25^th seed Quentin Halys of France and Alex De Minaur of Australia.

All second-round qualifying matches will be completed on Tuesday. View full Monday results here.

American Donald Young advanced with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over local hope Kyle Edmund on Monday at the Aegon International to set a second-round clash with compatriot Jared Donaldson. The #NextGenATP player saved one match point at 4-5, 30/40 in the deciding set of a 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-5 victory over eighth seed Diego Schwartzman in two hours and 47 minutes.

Former World No. 10 Kevin Anderson struck 11 aces and won 24 of his 26 first-service points to beat Thomaz Bellucci 6-3, 6-1 for a second-round match against seventh seed Richard Gasquet or #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe.

Top seed Novak Djokovic will open his Eastbourne campaign against qualifier Vasek Pospisil, who reached the second round with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Jiri Vesely. Robin Haase, who defeated Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 7-6(4), and Bernard Tomic, who topped Norbert Gombos 7-6(3), 6-3, also advanced.

Cameron Norrie claimed his first victory on the ATP World Tour, a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Horacio Zeballos. “It feels great… I couldn’t be more excited to have won my first match at the ATP level,” said the Brit, who will take on second seed Gael Monfils in the second round. “It was quite nice to know I didn’t play my best today. It’s nice to know that I can hang with these guys even if I’m not playing my best tennis. I can just build on that.”

"He's nailed it!"

How good is this winner by @cam_nozza? #AegonInternational #hotshot pic.twitter.com/dT6UlXC5eU

— British Tennis (@BritishTennis) June 26, 2017

In doubles, top seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan reached the quarter-finals with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Donald Young and Nenad Zimonjic, while Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Matt Reid ousted third seeds and Roland Garros champions Ryan Harrison and Michael Venus 6-3, 3-6, 10-7.

Spaniard Feliciano Lopez admitted he was playing “the best tennis of my career” after he captured his biggest title at the prestigious Aegon Championships. He completed a magical run by saving a match point in a thrilling deciding tie-break against Marin Cilic in a 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(8) final victory. Read Report & Watch Highlights

Lopez rose seven spots to No. 25 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after he captured his third grass-court crown and the sixth ATP World Tour trophy of his career. Three months shy of his 36th birthday, Lopez is at his highest ranking since 20 February 2017 (No. 28). He was competing at The Queen’s Club in London for the 12th straight year, having made his tournament debut in 2006.

View Latest Emirates ATP Rankings

A number of #NextGenATP players also had standout performances on grass courts last week at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle and also in London.

The 21-year-old Karen Khachanov moved to a career-high No. 34, with a four-place rise, after he reached the Halle semi-finals (l. to Federer). He beat Russian compatriot Andrey Rublev, 19, in the last eight, who also jumped up 14 spots to a career-high No. 92 – his breakthrough into the Top 100. Elsewhere, Daniil Medvedev, 21, moved eight positions to a career-high No. 52 after he advanced to The Queen’s Club quarter-finals (l. to Dimitrov).

Damir Dzumhur clinched his seventh ATP Challenger Tour crown at the Internationaux de Tennis de Blois (d. Heremy) and surged up 11 spots to No. 83, 17 places off his career-high of No. 66 (20 March 2017). The No. 97-ranked Federico Delbonis, rose 12 places after his eighth Challenger trophy at the Internazionali Di Tennis Dell Umbria (d. Cecchinato).

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