IMAGES from Day 1 of all the action from the Wimbledon Championships played at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, on Monday.
Four-times defending champion and hot favourite Novak Djokovic began his record quest with a straight-sets Wimbledon victory over a willing but eventually outgunned Argentine Pedro Cachin on Centre Court on Monday.
Serbian Djokovic, 36, is seeking a men's record-extending 24th Grand Slam title that would also draw him level with Australia's Margaret Court, to match Roger Federer's eight Wimbledons and equal Federer and Bjorn Borg's record of five successive men's singles crowns.
He took a convincing first step with a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(4) victory where the only time he looked really inconvenienced was when complaining about the risk of slipping on a mildly damp court after a shower caused a 70-minute delay during which the roof was closed and reopened.
Last time Djokovic lost on Centre Court was in the 2013 final against Andy Murray and remarkably that was also his last defeat on grass by any of the 128 players in this year’s draw, though for several years he has avoided any of the grasscourt warm-up events.
"For me, the opening match is a little bit tricky, I've not played any warm-up match and grass is a little different to clay," Djokovic said. "I've managed to adapt pretty well over the years and hopefully I manage to do it again."
Djokovic accepted that the rain delay was frustrating for the crowd but said it was still slippery until after the roof had been reopened. "I usually come out with rackets, not towels," he said.
Although Cachin claimed an early break in a competitive first set, the only time Djokovic looked inconvenienced was when complaining about the risk of slipping on a mildly damp court after a shower caused a 70-minute delay during which the roof was closed and reopened.
He ramped up the quality through the second set but Cachin showed admirable fighting quality to take the third into a tiebreak on serve before Djokovic came through.
As a reminder of the small margins that separate the great from the merely very good, Wimbledon debutant Cachin had played only one match on grass, and lost it, but for long spells went toe to toe with the most successful player of all time and broke him for a 3-2 first-set lead on a rare Djokovic double fault.
The champion broke back immediately, however, and when he began to find his range, battered his way through the Argentine’s defences to take the first set in 42 minutes.
Then followed the sort of delay that drives Wimbledon fans mad. After a mild shower, the roof was slid into place, but Djokovic was reluctant to return to the fray, pacing the court as ball boys took to using leaf blowers to dry the surface.
The action resumed after 70 minutes – with the roof open again – and Djokovic hit the ground running with an immediate break. While he threw in some crowd-pleasing drop shots, it was the relentless power and accuracy of his groundstrokes combined with an increasingly emphatic serve that wore down his 68th-ranked opponent.
To his credit, the 28-year-old Cachin kept the champion honest in the third, coming back from 0-30 at 5-4 down with four straight points to take it to a tiebreak, but Djokovic merely went through the gears again to win it comfortably.
Tougher challenges will lie ahead in the next two weeks but, in the absence of the retired Roger Federer and injured Rafa Nadal, someone from the next generation is going to have to find something special to stop Djokovic walking away with another armful of records.
Swiatek powers through to Round 2
World number one Iga Swiatek cruised into the Wimbledon second round with a 6-1, 6-3 mauling of China's Zhu Lin on Monday in a fine start to her quest for a first Grand Slam title on grass.
The 22-year-old Pole, who won the French Open title for the third time last month to make it four Grand Slam crowns, has yet to get past the fourth round of the London major.
Swiatek looked good in her movement on the surface and showed no signs of any effects of the illness that had ruled her out of her Bad Homburg semi-final on Friday.
"I felt really confident. I felt like I did a very good job," said Swiatek, a former junior champion at Wimbledon. "I feel really good after Roland Garros (French Open). After Roland Garros I took some time to appreciate what happened.
"Last year it was my second Grand Slam (at the French Open) and it felt overwhelming. This time I could focus on celebrating and actually at getting back to work with more peace in my head."
Zhu, ranked 34th in the world, earned a break point in the first game but Swiatek won 11 points in a row to sprint into a 3-0 lead.
Another break put Swiatek, a renowned slider on clay and hard courts who has often struggled with her movement on grass, firmly in the driving seat.
Zhu saved two set points at 5-0 but Swiatek sealed the first set a game later with a powerful crosscourt forehand winner.
The pair traded breaks early in the second before Swiatek, who pulled out of her Bad Homburg semi-final on Friday due to illness, earned a second one and was 4-3 up when play was interrupted due to rain.
It resumed after the roof on Court One was shut but Swiatek needed only seven minutes to win the two games she needed and sealed victory with a backhand winner.
Five-time champion Venus Williams made her record 24th appearance in the women's singles, aged 43. But any hope of rolling back the years was ended by Ukraine's Elina Svitolina who won 6-4, 6-3 in a high-profile battle of the wildcards.
Italian eighth seed Jannik Sinner impressed as he trounced Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.
Canada's 11th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime became the highest men's seed to fall though, suffering a shock 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-4 defeat against American Michael Mmoh.
Ruud staves off Lokoli to reach Wimbledon second round
Casper Ruud found his groove on grass after a wobble as the world number four battled past French qualifier Laurent Lokoli 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon second round on Monday and match his best showing at the Grand Slam.
Ruud has finished runner-up at three of the last five Grand Slam tournaments but has not been able to conjure up a deep run at Wimbledon and the 24-year-old showed glimpses of the form that can help him improve his modest record.
"I take every match as an underdog," Ruud said following just his fourth Tour-level match win on grass.
"At Wimbledon, I don't have the perfect game to play on grass but today I did quite well. I consider many other players to do well before myself, so I'm just going to try to play without too much pressure.
"I'm going to enjoy every time I get to step out here on the most beautiful tennis court in the world."
After sealing an early break, the Norwegian took control of the opening set by cranking up the pressure on his 199th-ranked opponent with thunderous forehand winners that echoed inside a cavernous Court One where the roof was closed due to rain.
A deflated Lokoli cracked a smile amid cheers from the crowd after finally getting on the board but Ruud quickly wiped it off his face by wrapping up the set before his level dipped at the start of the next.
"I started great. Laurent maybe was a bit nervous, maybe it's one of the first times he plays on a big court like this," Ruud said.
"Honestly, for me too it was the first time playing on Court One so I was also a bit nervous. But I had a great time."
Wimbledon main draw debutant Lokoli settled his nerves and began to play the tennis that got him through three rounds of qualifying and the animated 28-year-old levelled the match at one set apiece with a decisive break at the end.
Ruud pulled ahead after the seventh game of the see-sawing third set where both players faltered on serve and closed it out with a timely ace before returning to his aggressive best in the next to secure the victory.
"Sometimes on grass it goes quick, some points go away here and there so I tried to stay in there and I was able to serve good enough and break him a couple of times," said Ruud.
"I'm very happy to be through to the second round."
The Roland Garros finalist next plays local wild card Liam Broady who eased past unseeded Frenchman Constant Lestienne.
Kenin too canny for Coco, sinks seventh seed
Teenage starlet Coco Gauff slipped on the slipperiest of Wimbledon banana skins on Monday, sliding out of the first round with an opening day defeat to Sofia Kenin that was more missed opportunity than shock result.
That the American was drawn against resurgent compatriot Sofia Kenin already represented a major hurdle -- Kenin's current ranking of 128 belies her status as a recent former grand slam champion, and the 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 loss, although hard to swallow for seventh-seed Gauff, was no surprise upset.
Forget that Kenin had been forced to qualify for the main draw here. Both players have been ranked as high as world number four, before injury and illness took its toll on Kenin, and there was little to choose between the two on a chilly night on Wimbledon's Court One.
"I am super happy," Kenin told the Court One crowd as dusk descended and after Gauff had left the arena.
"Coco played a tough match, and I knew I had to play my best match to win."
Moscow-born Floridian Kenin had begun the stronger, the 24-year-old flying out of the traps with a barrage of ground strokes taken super-early or at the top of the bounce, clattering them away for winners against her on-the-back-foot teenage opponent.
Gauff, herself a formidable ball-striker, steadied herself to edge the second set and restore balance, but it was Kenin who nosed ahead early in the decider and retained her grip, never allowing the increasingly frustrated 19-year-old another foothold.
"Point by point," Kenin said. "(Just told myself) don't get over anxious or super excited... I am just happy to finish before it got dark... Coco has had a great season and I am super proud of myself."
Rublev leads Russian return with easy win
Andrey Rublev said he was happy to be welcomed back to Wimbledon after becoming the first returning Russian through to the second round by beating Australian Max Purcell on Monday.
The 25-year-old seventh seed looked impressive on a breezy Court Three as he posted a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory.
Rublev is one of 17 Russian and Belarusian players in the men's and women's singles draws after they were banned in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a 'special military operation'.
He was joined by Belarusian former world number one Victoria Azarenka as the women's 19th seed edged past China's Yuan Yue 6-4 5-7 6-4 and there was also a win for Russian 12th seed Veronika Kudermetova who beat Estonian veteran Kaia Kanepi.
Wimbledon was the only one of the four Grand Slam tournaments to ban Russian and Belarusian players last year -- a decision that resulted in ranking points being taken away from the event by the ATP and WTA Tours.
As part of their return, players from the two nations are playing as neutrals and must sign personal declarations pledging not to support Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime.
Players are not allowed to receive state funding or have sponsorship from Russian or Belarusian companies.
Wimbledon's U-turn, confirmed by All England Club organisers in March, attracted some criticism with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba calling the decision "immoral".
Rublev, who wrote "No War" on a camera lens at a tournament shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, was given a warm welcome by the crowd on a breezy Court Three.
He looked comfortable on the grass as he proved a class above 64th-ranked Purcell to reach the second round.
"I feel really happy to be back, because in general I didn't play much Wimbledon or I was injured or was pandemic or then they ban us," Rublev told reporters.
"So, of course, really special and really happy to be back in London to play at one of the best tournaments and to get a win today was a nice moment."
Asked about Wimbledon's ban last year, Rublev, who reached the fourth round in 2021, added: "If we really want to help or do what is better for tennis and for the people, I think obviously there were better options.
"Because in the end, there was no difference. They did only worse to themselves. For sure there were options for everyone. Now we are here and I'm really happy to be back and to compete."
The 26-year-old Kudermetova said she had received a good reaction from the crowd.
"They support. I think it doesn't matter from which country you are, we are here just a tennis player, we are here to compete and try to show our best," she said.
Garcia takes French hopes into Wimbledon second round
France's top Wimbledon hope Caroline Garcia overcame the elements and a lively opponent to reach the second round on Monday beating American Katie Volynets 6-4, 6-3 in a match interrupted by drizzle.
Garcia, seeded five, has a game suited to grass and used her speed and agility at the net as well as powerful returns to grind down her 21-year-old opponent. She won 18 points at the net to four for Volynets.
A swirling wind disturbed both women's serving and it was Garcia's fearsome forehands that earned her the upper hand.
She brought up set point with a backhand that Volynets, ranked 125 in the world, could not get hold of and won the set with an unplayable forehand return.
Garcia, 29, who has twice reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, suffered a brief wobble at the start of the second set, spraying unforced errors around the court and Volynets took advantage, breaking serve twice for a 3-0 lead.But those were the last games she won.
The Californian, whose only previous Wimbledon main draw appearance in 2021 ended in first-round defeat, could not cope when Garcia put her game back together.
"I had to have a reaction and I was able to come back quickly," Garcia said in an on-court interview.
The Frenchwoman surged back with aggressive volleying to win the next four games and take command of the set before drizzle stopped play for nearly an hour and a half.
When play resumed Garcia did not hang about, winning the fifth game in a row when Volynets served a double fault then serving for the match. She reached match point with a driving backhand and finished with another forehand winner.
"On grass there are no easy matches," Garcia said. "I am glad I was able to finish early."
Twice major winner Victoria Azarenka held off China's Yuan Yue in a tight match to secure a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win and advance to the second round.
France's Diane Parry dealt Briton Harriet Dart a second set bagel on the way to a 6-7(4), 6-0, 6-4 comeback win.
Pegula wins battle of the Americans to advance
American fourth seed Jessica Pegula moved into the second round of Wimbledon with a hard-fought 6-2, 6-7(8), 6-3 win over compatriot Lauren Davis on Monday.
Davis struggled to find her range from the start and was broken in the first game. That set the tone for the next few games as she racked up the unforced errors and Pegula raced into a 4-0 lead in less than 15 minutes.
Davis finally found her forehand power to get on the scoreboard but Pegula's pinpoint backhand meant she never got close to breaking back. The Australian Open quarter-finalist wrapped up the first set comfortably.
It was a different story in the second set, Davis making sure she held serve in the opening game with a couple of drop shots, forcing Pegula to go long, and held again to lead 2-1.
Both players struggled with a gusty wind at times, but Davis began spraying the ball across the court with power and precision. A close second set lasting over an hour went to a tiebreak, with Davis winning to level the match.
Neither player looked entirely comfortable on the Court Two lawn, each making more than 30 unforced errors in total. But Pegula got the crucial break in the decider to lead 5-3 when Davis hit a backhand into the net.
The world number four closed out the match with a high backhand volley to advance to the second round where she will face either Spain's Cristina Bucsa or Russian Kamilla Rakhimova.
