Djokovic, Swiatek shine in the rain as Wimbledon gets rolling

Novak Djokovic launched his bid for an eighth Wimbledon title and 24th Grand Slam triumph on Monday with his 40th successive win on Centre Court as Russian players defiantly marked their return from a controversial 2022 ban.
The 36-year-old Djokovic, who has won the past four titles at the All England Club, defeated 68th-ranked Pedro Cachin of Argentina, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) on the tournament’s showpiece court, where he has not lost since 2013.
Djokovic even found time to help ground staff dry out probably the world’s most famous lawn after the surface became too slippery following a downpour. The roof was closed but play did not resume for about 90 minutes, much to the frustration of the fans.
“When I come out, I usually come out with racquets, not towels,” said Djokovic, whose 45 winners featured 13 aces.
“The conditions were not great under the roof, it was still slippery. I think it was definitely frustrating for the crowd waiting for us.”
Djokovic, bidding to match Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles, goes on to face Australia’s Jordan Thompson for a place in the third round of a tournament he described as “the holy grail, the temple of tennis”.
“What a second home to have,” he said. “It doesn’t get much better than Wimbledon in terms of history and tradition.”
World number two Djokovic has already pocketed the Australian Open and French Open this year.
Winning a men’s-record 23rd major in Paris put him just one behind Margaret Court’s all-time singles mark of 24.
He is also half way to pulling off the first calendar Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969.
Seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia was the first men’s winner of the day, beating Australia’s Max Purcell 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. Twelve months ago, all Russian and Belarusian players were banned by Wimbledon in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
“I think obviously there were better options - not just to ban,” said Rublev who next faces compatriot Aslan Karatsev.
“Because in the end, there was no difference. They did only worse to themselves.”
His 12th-seeded compatriot, Veronika Kudermetova, made the second round of the women’s singles by seeing off 38-year-old Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, a two-time quarter-finalist 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.
World number one Iga Swiatek racked up the first five games on her way to sweeping past China’s Zhu Lin.
Reigning US Open and French Open champion Swiatek came through 6-1, 6-3 against her 34th-ranked opponent.
“I feel confident and did a good job of adjusting to grass,” said the 22-year-old Pole, who has yet to get past the last 16 at Wimbledon.

Svitolina beats injured Williams
Elina Svitolina recovered from a shaky start to beat injured five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3 in the first round yesterday.
The Ukrainian, who reached the semi-finals in 2019, lost her first service game to the veteran American but broke back immediately.
Williams, 43, slipped on the Centre Court grass and fell to the ground in agony, clutching her strapped right knee as Svitolina pulled the score back to 2-1.
She limped back to her chair and the trainer was called but she was able to continue.
Williams came out aggressively, seeking to fire off winners, but was broken again in the fifth game and Svitolina went on to take the opening set 6-4. The American had a mountain to climb after she was broken in the first game of the second set and she squandered a break point of her own in the next game.
Former world number three Svitolina, who gave birth to a baby girl in October and is currently ranked 76th, broke again for a 4-1 lead. The 28-year-old served for the match in the eighth game but Williams, moving remarkably freely, broke back to make the score 5-3.
However, she failed to build on her momentum as Svitolina broke again, wrapping up the set 6-3, with the match decided on a video referral.
Williams, apparently upset with the umpire, was given a standing ovation as she walked off Centre Court, turning and waving to the crowd.
The American, who made her Wimbledon debut in 1997, was playing at the All England Club for the 24th time - the most appearances for any player in the Open era.

Gauff shocked by qualifier Kenin
Coco Gauff was dumped out of Wimbledon on the first day of the tournament yesterday, losing 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.The 19-year-old seventh seed was broken four times in the match by her fellow American, making 33 unforced errors in the biggest shock of the day at the All England Club.
Gauff, who reached the quarter-finals at the recent French Open, lost the first set and squandered a 3-0 lead in the second set before coming out on top to level the match.
But qualifier Kenin, who won the Australian Open in 2020, broke her opponent in the opening game of the third set and went on to win the decider 6-2.