LONDON: For the last 50 weeks, Carlos Alcaraz knew the exact date and time he would walk back on Center Court to open the defense of his Wimbledon title and the Spaniard kept his goosebumps in check on Monday to book his place in the second round.
While injury woes have plagued many of the players who have also hoisted the Challenge Cup in recent years — with question marks over the participation of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — Alcaraz showed he was fighting fit despite a less than ideal buildup to the grasscourt major.
The third seed, who admitted he even gets nervous practicing on the spiritual home of grasscourt tennis, beat fellow 21-year-old, Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal, 7-6(3) 7-5 6-2 on an overcast day in southwest London.
“Stepping on this court, it’s the most beautiful court I’ve played on. I still get nerves when I’m playing here,” Alcaraz, whose Queen’s Club title defense ended with an early exit last month, said courtside.
“I played for 45 minutes here on Thursday and it’s the first time I get nervous practicing. I’m glad and I’m a privileged guy to play on this court.
“When I walk around, I get goosebumps. I remember last year and that was a great feeling.”
World No. 1 and top seed Jannik Sinner suffered a mid-match injury scare after a slip and was briefly troubled by Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann before winning 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-3 to set up a mouth-watering all-Italian clash against 2021 runner-up Matteo Berrettini.
“That’s going to a big challenge for me,” Sinner said.
SEEDS SIDELINED
The opening day of the grasscourt Grand Slam saw several seeds pull out with injuries or illness — the highest-profile being women’s third seed Aryna Sabalenka who could not take to court because of a shoulder injury.
Fellow Belarusian and twice Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka also pulled out with a shoulder problem ahead of her match with 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens.
Sabalenka’s withdrawal removed one mighty obstacle for second seed Coco Gauff who concluded Center Court action on Monday with an impressive 6-1 6-2 defeat of fellow American Caroline Dolehide.
Former world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka returned to Wimbledon after a five-year absence and came through a topsy-turvy clash against France’s Diane Parry, winning 6-1 1-6 6-4.
Fans flocking to the All England Club on Tuesday will hope seven-times champion Djokovic and Andy Murray, who ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s Wimbledon champion when he won the first of his two titles in 2013, will both be fit enough to make their Center Court dates.
While second seed Djokovic had knee surgery last month, Murray is recovering from a procedure on his back just days ago and, with this year’s tournament expected to be his Wimbledon swansong, he is desperately hoping he can write the ending of his own script with one final rousing run on court.
Twice French Open runner-up Casper Ruud was another player delighted to be back on court after he was hit by a parasitic infection that kept him in bed for almost two weeks following his run to the Roland Garros semifinals last month.
Ruud matched his best result at the championships after he reached the second round by beating Australian qualifier Alex Bolt 7-6(2) 6-4 6-4.
Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev, beaten in the semifinals last year by Alcaraz, produced an assured 6-3 6-4 6-2 victory over American Aleksandar Kovacevic.
Men’s 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov continued his resurgence with a 6-3 6-4 7-5 win against Dusan Lajovic, while three-times Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, at 39 the oldest man in the draw, rolled back the years with a 6-3 7-5 6-4 win over British wildcard Charles Broom.
Britain’s Emma Raducanu, who rocketed to fame by winning the 2021 US Open as a qualifier but has struggled to reach such heights since because of injuries, had England soccer idol David Beckham watching her from the Center Court royal box and she duly delivered an encouraging victory.
Wildcard Raducanu, 21, missed last year’s Wimbledon because of injury but opened her account with a battling 7-6(0) 6-3 win against Mexico’s Renata Zarazua.
Zarazua was a last-minute replacement for Russian 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova who withdrew because of illness.
