Sloane Stephens won a Wimbledon match for the first time in two years.
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Kei Nishikori was stretched to five sets by Simone Bolelli before the fifth seed registered a 6-3 6-7 (4) 6-2 3-6 6-3 win.
French Open runner-up Lucie Safarova overcame Alison Riske of the United States 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the second round at Wimbledon. Sharapova is seeded fourth and will face Johanna Konta of Britain in the first round, following Djokovic on court in the main stadium today.
“I thought [the] return was exceptionally well, good from my side; serving efficiently”, said Djokovic.
Communication between a player and his coach is strictly prohibited during matches under the ITF and ATP rules but Becker has stated recently that there are ways he can send across a message to Djokovic, who on Sunday had explained that he only receives reassurance from his team during matches rather than actual instructions. But Djokovic hasn’t played a competitive match since facing Wawrinka in Paris.
“We can’t pretend like that’s not happening in tennis”, he said.
He tells us: “As a professional athlete, I identify myself with all the professional athletes, especially the tennis players, because I know what they go through, and how much commitment, dedication, sweat you have to go through to reach certain heights. But it’s all within the rules”.
Sixteen grand slam champions start in the men’s and women’s singles, with several featuring a packed opening day schedule, including Wawrinka and Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt who will be making his final bow at the tournament he won in 2002. Not since 2010, when Roger Federer was taken the distance by Alejandro Falla, had the reigning champion dropped a set in the ceremonial first match, and Djokovic was not about to buck the trend.
The 34-year-old Aussie Hewitt has said he will retire following the 2016 Australian Open in January.
A look at the five men with the best prospects to dominate the grass courts this year. Denis Kudia, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Lauren Davis, and Coco Vandeweghe all advanced to the second round. The first is his relative slightness compared with the bulked-up bods of two of his three great rivals Rafa Nadal and, latterly, Andy Murray.
“Where I come from, from capital of Serbia, there’s a special sparrow bird called djivjum”, he said. But he did have plenty of nice things to say about LeBron James. Now, in theory, the path was clear for the world No. 1 to fulfil his dream and win the title.
“I’m not just talking in a physical way”.
Novak Djokovic in action during his 1st round match at Wimbledon.
As defending champion, Djokovic opened proceedings on Centre Court. The only spot of bother for the top-ranked Serbian came in his post-match press conference, when he was asked about an interview his coach, Boris Becker, gave in which he talked about communicating with Djokovic during play.
More specifically, for his first-round match against Mikhail Kukushkin tomorrow, Bing reckons he has a 98% chance of winning. “I believe this bird came all the way from Belgrade to help me”, Djokovic said.
Isner collected more than half of his points, 58 of 96, via unreturned serves. The venue is the only Grand Slam tournament with a grass court.
Top-seeded Novak Djokovic opened his title defense at Wimbledon against a tricky opponent in Philipp Kohlschreiber on Monday.
Serena Williams was far from dominant at the start, but more than good enough at the end.
The U.S. player stays on course to scoop an impressive four majors in the same year, a feat last achieved by Steffi Graf in 1988.
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Both players are hoping to stop Serena Williams from taking another step closer to a calendar Grand Slam, after the American triumphed in both Australia and France earlier this year.
