London: Defending champion Novak Djokovic, five-time women’s winner Serena Williams, 2004 champion Maria Sharapova reached the Wimbledon second round on Monday while 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt Hewitt’s Wimbledon farewell ended in an agonising defeat.
Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen out-lasted Hewitt 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, 11-9 in a thrilling first round clash.
Sharapova defeated Johanna Konta of Britain 6-2, 6-2. Top seed Djokovic enjoyed a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber with crucial breaks in the ninth game of each set and goes on to face Nieminen for a place in the last 32.
Djokovic was playing his first match since his defeat to Stan Wawrinka at the final of the French Open three weeks ago ended his hopes of completing a career Grand Slam. Djokovic hit 12 aces and 36 winners past world number 33 Kohlschreiber.
Top seed Serena, bidding to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1988 to wrap up all four majors in one season, endured a nervy start, dropping serve and being warned for swearing, before completing a 6-4, 6-1 win over Margarita Gasparyan, the world number 113 from Russia who has never won a tour match in four years as a professional.
Victoria Azarenka, seeded 23, saw off Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit 6-2, 6-1 and seventh seed Ana Ivanovic breezed past China’s Fan Xu-yi 6-1, 6-1.
