Novak Djokovic congratulates Pedro Cachin on winning his maiden ATP title in Gstaad, days after Wimbledon clash

Novak Djokovic has congratulated his Wimbledon opponent, Pedro Cachin, on his maiden ATP title win at the 2023 Swiss Open in Gstaad.

On Sunday, July 23, Cachin was up against Albert Ramos Vinolas in the summit clash of the ATP 250 in Gstaad. The Argentine scored a comeback victory against the 2019 champion, 3-6, 6-0, 7-5, to claim his first-ever ATP title in his first tour-level final attempt.

En route to the final, Pedro Cachin defeated tough opponents such as Taro Daniel, Roberto Bautista Agut, Jaume Munar, and Hamad Medjedovic. Cachin, who was contesting the event after an opening-round loss to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, was congratulated by the Serb on the breakthrough win.

“Congratulations Pedro,” Novak Djokovic wrote on his social media, celebrating.

Pedro Cachin responded to the Serb’s acknowledgement by hilariously recalling their Wimbledon meeting from three weeks ago, where he pushed Novak Djokovic to a tiebreak in the third set before being outclassed 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

“That 7/6 gave me confidence, my friend,” he jokingly said.

Pedro Cachin on Instagram

The 28-year-old had previously expressed his admiration for Novak Djokovic following his 2023 Australian Open quarterfinal victory over a difficult opponent in Andrey Rublev.

He had indicated that the World No. 2 is simply on a different level and is unlike any other tennis player.

“It's not tennis that Nole plays, we play tennis. Don't be confused kids please!” he had said.

Pedro Cachin climbed a staggering 41 spots to reach a new career-high ranking of World No. 49 following his Gstaad triumph. This is his first time entering the World's top-50. His previous best ranking was World No. 54.

He is now expected to participate in the ATP 500 Hamburg Open, where he is drawn against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the first round.

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Novak Djokovic withdraws from the Canadian Open, days after Wimbledon final defeat

The Serb at 2023 Wimbledon Championships

Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the upcoming Masters 1000 Canadian Open (August 7–13), just days after losing the Wimbledon title to Carlos Alcaraz. This marks his fifth straight year missing the tournament.

The Serb, a four-time Canadian Open champion, cited fatigue as the reason for his absence.

“I have always enjoyed my time in Canada but after speaking with my team, we believe this is the right decision to take. I really hope I can return to Canada and Toronto in the coming years to play in front of great fans there,” he said in a press release.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion is expected to commence his North American swing at the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati between August 13 and 20.

He will then participate in the US Open, where he will bid for a record 24th Major title and a fourth at Flushing Meadows.

The 36-year-old, who remains unvaccinated, was banned from entering the country until recently and will be contesting the US Open for the first time since 2021.