Mirra Andreeva and Novak Djokovic. Photo: Getty Images
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner played a grueling five-set match, legendary Serbian Novak Djokovic faced stiff resistance, and British tennis players endured one of their worst starts in recent years, notes The Times.
The main test of the first day of play was the match between world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Serbian Miomir Kecmanović. The Italian was considered the clear favorite, but found himself in a difficult situation as early as the first round.
Kecmanović won the first set 6–4 and then took the third-set tiebreaker, putting Sinner in danger of an early exit. However, the ATP No. 1 managed to turn the match around and ultimately won in five sets: 4–6, 6–3, 6–7, 6–2, 6–3.
For Sinner, this match was a test not only of his playing skills but also of his physical conditioning. The Italian reaffirmed his status as the top contender for the title, but showed that even the early rounds on grass can be a serious challenge for him.
Djokovic and Andreeva Continue Their Runs
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic also didn’t have an easy time of it. His opponent was China’s Wu Yibin, who put up a fight against one of the most experienced players in the tournament’s history.
The Serb lost the second set but then regained control of the match and closed it out in four sets—6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
The victory allowed Djokovic to maintain a unique streak: he remains undefeated in the first round at Wimbledon. For the 39-year-old Serb, every new match on grass becomes part of his quest for yet another historic record.
In the women’s draw, all eyes were on Mirra Andreeva, the 2026 French Open champion. The 19-year-old Russian faced pressure for the first time since her Grand Slam victory but managed to advance past the opening round in her match against Magda Linette, 7-5, 6-4.
Now Andreeva faces a new challenge: to try to repeat a rare feat—winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same season. The last tennis player to accomplish this was Serena Williams in 2015.
The biggest surprise of the day—the British players’ poor showing
The most notable event of the first day was not a single result, but the tournament hosts’ collective poor start.
British players suffered a string of defeats, with one of the national team’s leaders, Cameron Norrie, among those eliminated. He lost to American tennis player Michael Chen, who had advanced through qualifying, in five sets after more than four hours of play—6-7, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6.
Harriet Dart also failed to advance, losing to French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Another blow for British fans was the withdrawal of top players: Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu did not take the court for their matches due to injuries.
As a result, the first day turned out to be one of the toughest for British tennis in recent decades.
