| Defending champion Novak Djokovic is safely through to the second round |
Novak Djokovic got the defence of his Wimbledon title off to an impressive start when, serving superbly, he overwhelmed Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets in the first match on Centre Court on Tuesday.
After a few early wobbles Djokovic triumphed 6-3 7-5 6-3 as, perhaps already buoyed by the presence of new coach Goran Ivanisevic, he really hit the mark with his serves.
“He’s someone I’ve always looked up to and we’ve been friends for a long time – though usually on the opposite side of the net,” Djokovic said of the 2001 champion who has come on board as part of his coaching team.
“He’s coached lots of great players, so it’s great to have him on my side. He’s going to stay for sure through the first week then we’ll see. It’s a great pleasure to have such a champion and hopefully we can have a long collaboration.”
“It felt great, it’s the sacred court, the cradle of our sport and it has a special place in my heart and my career,” Djokovic said.
“Opening round matches are always tricky, he has a lot of experience and beat me this year. I know he can play good quality tennis, he takes the ball early, so it was a great test for me and all three sets were pretty close.”
In other early action on Monday, returning to the lush grasscourts of Wimbledon proved to be just the tonic Kevin Anderson needed on Monday as the 2018 runner-up buried memories of an injury-hit year by easing into the second round with a 6-3 6-4 6-2 win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
The South African, who had played only three tour-level events this year before arriving at Wimbledon due to an elbow injury, moved around a sun-kissed Court Three with ease to dispatch doubles specialist Herbert.
Stan Wawrinka was barely mentioned in the Wimbledon build-up with all the focus on the men’s “big three” and the young guns hoping to shake things up but the Swiss means business.
Outside of eight-time champion Roger Federer, twice winner Rafael Nadal and defending champion Novak Djokovic, Wawrinka is the only other multiple Grand Slam champion in the draw.
With the weapons at his disposal, a beefy serve and a sublime backhand and a big match mentality, Wawrinka should at least part of the conversation when it comes to discussing contenders to make a deep run this fortnight.
The 34-year-old needs a Wimbledon title to complete his career Grand Slam and while, for whatever reason, he has never thrived on the All England Club lawns, he looked razor sharp as he began his 15th successive appearance.
On a sunny Court Two against Belgian qualifier Ruben Bemelmans he belted 26 winners in a 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory that took less than an hour and a half.
REUTERS