World number two Aryna Sabalenka says her return to Wimbledon inspired her to play her best tennis in a first-round romp.

The Belarusian was not permitted to enter last year’s tournament in response to her country’s part in Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, but she is back and looks like meaning business after dispatching Panna Udvardy 6-3 6-1 in little over an hour on Centre Court.

Sabalenka is part of the unofficial ‘big three’ in the women’s game along with world number one Iga Swiatek and defending champion Elena Rybakina and is happy to be back challenging again.

She said in her on-court interview: “I didn’t realise how much I missed this place until this match. Thank you for everyone coming and supporting, it really means a lot to me.

“It was a great match, I was trying to do my best in every point, I was enjoying the experience. I think I missed this place a lot, that is why I played my best tennis today.

“I mean, I feel great. It is really good to be one of the favourite at this beautiful tournament and I will try my best to make sure I reach as far as I can at Wimbledon.

“I really love Wimbledon. I have great memories from two years ago. I made semi-finals. I always enjoy my game here at Wimbledon, enjoy the atmosphere.

“It was a really tough period for me last year. I was just super happy to be here this year. I really enjoyed every second today on court.”

Rybakina overcame a slow start to the defence of her title to beat Shelby Rogers in three sets.

Rybakina was playing on Centre Court for the first time since winning her maiden grand slam title 12 months ago and American Rogers threatened to produce some Independence Day fireworks as she took the opening set in style.

But, despite a recent illness which saw her pull out of the Eastbourne tournament last week, she found her feet and reminded everyone why she triumphed here last year by overrunning her opponent in the final two sets to claim a 4-6 6-1 6-2 victory.

She entered the court after eight-time men’s champion Roger Federer had been welcomed by the crowd and did not start well as Shelby broke her serve in the opening game of the match.

Rogers was able to save a break-back point at 2-1 and then produced some fine hitting that enabled her to take the advantage.

But that was as good as it got as Rybakina kicked into gear and raced away with the second set, breaking serve twice to take it in 29 minutes.

An early break in the decider proved key and Rybakina was able to move safely into the second round.

She said: “It was really tough for me today, I was pretty nervous, I cannot even hide it. The double fault said it all in the first game of the match. I am really pleased to get to another round.

“I am feeling much better. Hopefully this win gives me more confidence for the next round.”

Last year’s beaten finalist Ons Jabeur might have something to say about the winner coming from one of the top three seeds.

She delivered a convincing win against Magdalena Frech on Court One, needing just 76 minutes to post a 6-3 6-3 triumph.

They were the only three women’s matches able to be completed on a rain-soaked day at Wimbledon where play was unable to continue on the outdoor courts from just after midday.

Andy Murray raced through his first-round match with fellow Briton Ryan Peniston to provide some cheer for Wimbledon fans on a rain-soaked day two of the Championships.

Play on the outside courts was stopped just after midday and there would be no return due to the wet conditions in SW19.

But the roofs on Centre Court and Court One allowed defending champion Elena Rybakina and second seed Aryna Sabalenka to open their accounts on the grass at the All England Club.

Cameron Norrie and world number one Carlos Alcaraz were also victorious on a drab day where the presence of Roger Federer and the Princess of Wales in the Royal Box helped lift spirits.

Tweet of the dayPicture of the dayQuote of the dayShot of the dayStat of the dayRoyalty on Centre Court

Two different types of royalty graced Centre Court on a wet second day of the Championships with Kate and eight-time Wimbledon winner Federer, who both recently put on a training session for ball girls and boys, in the Royal Box.

Federer received a special ovation and watched a video of his highlights on his first return to SW19 since confirming his retirement in September. It showed he remains the king of the All England Club despite playing the last of his 22 tournaments here in 2021.

Federer sat next to Kate, who wore a lime green blazer and had mixed with the Court 18 crowd during Katie Boulter’s match against Daria Saville before rain brought an early end to proceedings.

With the roof on Centre, the pair were able to witness the victories of Rybakina and Murray.

British number one Cameron Norrie got his Wimbledon campaign up and running with a four-set victory over tricky Czech youngster Tomas Machac.

The 27-year-old, a semi-finalist here last year, dropped the second set but went on to record a 6-3 4-6 6-1 6-4 win under the roof on Court One.

Machac, ranked 108 in the world, was making his Wimbledon debut and playing the first Tour level match on grass of his career.

But nevertheless the 22-year-old was a dangerous first-round opponent who beat Norrie’s compatriot Dan Evans in the Davis Cup and took Novak Djokovic to a deciding-set tie-break earlier this year.

There was no drama for Norrie in the opening set, though, as he secured a break for 3-2 and another to wrap it up.

The 12th seed is still sporting the tape on his knee that he wore throughout Queen’s, but whatever the issue is it was not bothering him unduly.

However, things unravelled in the second with Norrie twice pointing an accusatory finger at the grass after misreading the bounce of the ball and dumping forehands into the net before Machac levelled the match.

But Norrie got back on track in the third, securing a double break to take the set in just 24 minutes.

He retrieved an early break in the fourth with a forehand which left a flagging Machac in a heap on the baseline.

Further break points went back and forth but it was Norrie who made one stick to complete an encouraging victory in two hours and 32 minutes.

“The last two years that was me waiting around in the rain,” said Norrie. “So it was nice to have a run last year and then to be able to play on this court.

“It’s nice to get it done and get the first one out of the way.”

Andy Murray put on a Centre Court show for the Princess of Wales and old foe Roger Federer.

The two-time champion took apart countryman Ryan Peniston with a 6-3 6-0 6-1 victory under the roof to ease into the second round of Wimbledon for the 15th consecutive time.

Federer, whose career had been celebrated with a short video prior to the start of play, and Kate made sure they were back in their seats in the front row of the Royal Box in time for the first shot of the all-British clash.

It is 11 years since a tearful Murray was beaten by the great Swiss in his first Wimbledon final, and he sincerely believes that his days of challenging for the title here are not over.

He missed the French Open to focus on his grass-court preparations, winning back-to-back Challenger Tour titles in Surbiton and Nottingham, and was rewarded with his first straight-sets win at Wimbledon since 2017 and his most convincing victory here in nine years.

By starting a 15th campaign, he matched the open era record for a British man set by Jeremy Bates, and he would have taken confidence from knowing that in nearly 1,000 tour-level matches he had never lost to a player ranked as low as Peniston’s 268.

The 27-year-old from Essex, who survived cancer as a toddler, had a breakthrough year in 2022, particularly on the grass, and won his first-round match at Wimbledon.

He settled well on his Centre Court debut and was the better of the two for much of the first set but he was unable to take either of two early chances to break the Murray serve and paid for one loose game.

By the second set, the Scot, who went on to win the title after his only previous match against another British player here when he beat Liam Broady in 2016, was playing much better.

Peniston was still competing hard and pulling off some crowd-pleasing shots but Murray had cut out the unforced errors – 15 of his total of 24 came in the opening set – and was not giving his opponent anything.

By the time Peniston won another game, he had lost nine in a row and was 2-0 down in the third set.

Much more difficult tests will await, including the winner of the clash between fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem in the second round, but the crispness with which Murray struck the ball off the ground certainly appears to bode well.

Elena Rybakina overcame a slow start to the defence of her Wimbledon title to beat Shelby Rogers in three sets.

Rybakina was playing on Centre Court for the first time since winning her maiden grand slam title 12 months ago and American Rogers threatened to produce some Independence Day fireworks as she took the opening set in style.

But, despite a recent illness which saw her pull out of the Eastbourne tournament last week, she found her feet and reminded everyone why she triumphed here last year by overrunning her opponent in the final two sets to claim a 4-6 6-1 6-2 victory.

She entered the court after eight-time men’s champion Roger Federer had been welcomed by the crowd and did not start well as Shelby broke her serve in the opening game of the match.

Rogers was able to save a break-back point at 2-1 and then produced some fine hitting that enabled her to take the advantage.

But that was as good as it got as Rybakina kicked into gear and raced away with the second set, breaking serve twice to take it in 29 minutes.

An early break in the decider proved key and Rybakina was able to move safely into the second round.

She said in her on-court interview: “It was really tough for me today, I was pretty nervous, I cannot even hide it. The double fault said it all in the first game of the match. I am really pleased to get to another round.

“I am feeling much better. Hopefully this win gives me more confidence for the next round.”

Her victory was the only women’s match able to be completed in the first four-and-a-half hours of play on Tuesday as heavy rain just after midday stopped all action on the outside courts.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz laid down a serious Wimbledon marker with a three-set defeat of Jeremy Chardy in the first round.

The 20-year-old Spaniard is seen as the most realistic challenger to Novak Djokovic’s bid for an eighth title this fortnight.

He proved his blossoming grass-court credentials by winning at Queen’s last weekend, and then produced an impressive all-round display, dismantling Chardy for two sets before digging in to take the third for a 6-0 6-2 7-5 win under the roof on Court One.

Chardy had announced he would retire after the Championships, with the London-based Frenchman calling time on his career 18 years after winning the Wimbledon boys’ title.

The 36-year-old, who reached a career high of 25 in the world, had said beforehand the match would “be a great end, no matter what”.

He may have revised that opinion after a first set which lasted just 22 minutes and in which he could not buy a first serve, throwing in seven double-faults to hand Alcaraz a bagel for lunch.

The match began at just after 1pm, but it was nearly quarter-to-two by the time Chardy finally got a game on the board.

Alcaraz had only ever played six matches on grass before Queen’s. But, all venomous serves, thunderous forehands, sliced backhands and the occasional beautifully disguised drop shot, he now looks ominously at home on the surface.

Chardy was two sets behind after less than an hour, yet, out of the blue and willed on by a crowd wanting to see at least something of a contest, he converted a break point at the fourth attempt to lead 4-2 in the third.

It was a fleeting show of defiance, however, with Alcaraz breaking straight back and going on to complete the victory in an hour and 53 minutes.

“I think I played really well at the beginning of the match but in the third set he showed his level,” said Alcaraz.

“I like to play rallies and battles, let’s say, and I’m really happy to have played at a great level and get through this first round.

“Without the roof and sun it’s better for me and everyone, but I have to be really focused. The sound of the ball with the roof is beautiful.”

Roger Federer showed he is still king of Centre Court after a special welcome marked his record-breaking achievements at Wimbledon.

The 41-year-old was back at the scene of his eight titles for the first time since he retired last September and was celebrated in the Royal Box ahead of the start of play on Tuesday.

Federer, who was fresh from appearing on stage with Coldplay in Zurich over the weekend, received a rapturous standing ovation and was visibly moved before taking his seat next to the Princess of Wales.

The celebration did threaten to upstage Elena Rybakina, the defending women’s champion who began her title defence against American Shelby Rogers.

It was the first of three scheduled matches on the main show court on day two of the Championships, with two-time winner Andy Murray taking on fellow Briton Ryan Peniston later.

Top men’s seed Carlos Alcaraz was in action under the roof on Court One but play elsewhere was suspended due to rain in SW19.

Carlos Alcaraz emerging as a contender for Novak Djokovic's world number-one crown leaves tennis "in good hands" after Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's impact lessened.

That was the message from two-time major finalist Mark Philippoussis, who believes Alcaraz has what it takes to hold off Djokovic in the battle for the men's top spot.

Alcaraz triumphed at The Queen's Club on Sunday to move back to the top of the ATP rankings, with the 20-year-old seeing himself as a favourite to win at Wimbledon.

Jeremy Chardy will be Alcaraz's first opponent at the grass-court major on Tuesday and former player-turned-coach Philippoussis believes the Spanish youngster has all the skills to down Djokovic.

Philippoussis told Stats Perform: "I think the sport is in good hands. He's somebody that has his mind on looking to take over but looking to do it right now and not just wait until Djokovic has gone.

"Djokovic got to number one, Alcaraz took it back just now by winning Queen's, and by him winning Queen's, it just shows where his mind is.

"He's another guy that has been a grand slam winner and number one in the world, he's always looking to improve.

"He's still looking to improve in every way, he's got a great team around him, and he's doing the right things on and off the court.

"He's continuing to try and improve his net game, along with moving to the net more and mixing up with serve and volley on the grass and it is shown by winning Queen's."

Alcaraz and Djokovic have faced off twice so far, with the latter winning at Roland Garros this year after falling foul of the boy wonder in Madrid last year.

Nadal and Federer were long the challengers as tennis' 'Big Three' alongside Djokovic, but with the injuries curtailing their careers Alcaraz's excellence has somewhat filled the void.

Spanish veteran Nadal has not played a singles match since January at the Australian Open, with his troublesome injury record ruling the 37-year-old out of the French Open and Wimbledon.

Nadal is expected to retire next year, and Philippoussis lauded the 22-time major winner for the legacy he will leave behind when that time comes.

"I mean, it speaks for itself. He is so well loved and respected, and then what he's done in tennis, he is one of the all-time greats," Philippoussis added. 

"It is as simple as that, and somebody that tennis will miss, one of those personalities that we will miss greatly but he's definitely paved the way for a lot of generations from behind him to look up to."

Frances Tiafoe "undoubtedly" has the potential to win a grand slam and do "something special" at Wimbledon, so says his former coach Zack Evenden.

Tiafoe surged into the world's top 10 in June after winning the Stuttgart Open, Tiafoe achieving a career-high ranking after his triumph in Germany.

Wimbledon will be the next challenge in Tiafoe's sights, with the 25-year-old looking to build upon his last-four appearance at the 2022 US Open – his best finish in one of the four majors.

Evenden oversaw Tiafoe's his first ATP title in 2018 before the pair parted ways three years later, and he sees no reason why the American cannot go all the way to glory.

Speaking to Stats Perform at the inaugural Tennis Black List at the LTA National Tennis Centre, Evenden said: "We worked together for four years and every day he stressed me out, but it was because I knew this was waiting at the end of the road and I know he's got much further to go.

"I think it's only a matter of time before he now figures out a way to get to the top five and then hopefully it's only a matter of time before that slam comes."

Asked whether Tiafoe had the ability to go all the way in a major, Evenden added: "Undoubtedly. That's no doubt, it's just a matter of when for me. I've never doubted that from him for a minute."

Evenden, who was replaced by former top-10 player Wayne Ferreira in 2021, believes Tiafoe's technique is perfectly suited for Wimbledon, where he faces Yibing Wu in his opening round on Tuesday.

He continued: "That quick whip take-back, short, compact backhand. He has got all the touch and all the feel.

"I think he's got so much potential on the grass. I've always thought that and I think that this year, we could see something special from him."

Pete Sampras won Wimbledon seven times across his illustrious career, while Andre Agassi triumphed once in SW19. Andy Roddick, meanwhile, reached three finals at the All England Club, and Evenden is confident Tiafoe can deal with the pressure of being compared to his compatriots.

"As with everyone, it takes a while for you to come to terms with the pressure and come to terms with the success too because it's hard winning because you got to sacrifice so much," he said. 

"Someone with such a personality like him, he's got to sacrifice more than other players. I think he deals with it very well.

"I think he's taken some huge steps in dealing with it and figuring out what works for him and what he needs to do. Obviously, he loves to show up at the big events. I think he's only going to get better."

America has not had a male grand slam singles winner since Roddick triumphed at the US Open back in 2003.

Serena Williams beat sister Venus Williams on this day in 2009 to claim her third Wimbledon singles title.

The Americans were contesting the final for the fourth time, and five-time champion Venus, the defending champion, was surprisingly outplayed as Serena triumphed 7-6 (3) 6-2 in an hour and 27 minutes.

Venus had been considered favourite after dropping just 20 games in her previous six matches.

Serena broke serve twice in the second set and although Venus saved three match points, the younger sister made sure of victory on her next chance.

Venus netted with a backhand and Serena, Wimbledon winner in 2002 and 2003, was able to celebrate.

The new champion, aged 27 at the time, said: “It feels so amazing, I feel so blessed, I feel like I shouldn’t be holding the trophy, like I can’t believe I won and not Venus.

“This is one of the few times I didn’t expect to come out with the win. I felt like I had nothing to lose.

“I just wanted to move the ball around better than I did in my past few matches. When I won that first set, I was like, ‘Wow, this is great’.”

Venus, two years Serena’s senior, said: “Today she was too good. She had answers for everything, she played the best tennis today.”

The victory took Serena to 11 grand slam singles titles – she has since boosted that to a record 23, and her tally of Wimbledon singles triumphs to seven.

Andy Murray will not be the only men’s grand slam champion to grace Centre Court on Tuesday as Wimbledon prepares to celebrate Roger Federer.

Federer, who announced his retirement last September, will have his achievement of winning a record eight grand slam titles in SW19 recognised during a special ceremony before the action on Centre Court begins at 1.30pm.

After Federer’s appearance, the focus will turn to defending champion Elena Rybakina and later Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka, who is back for the first time since 2021 after last year’s ban on Russian and Belarussian athletes.

Murray takes on fellow Briton Ryan Peniston while Cameron Norrie gets his tournament under way and world number one Carlos Alcaraz is involved in an action-packed second day of the 2023 championships.

Order of PlayBrit Watch

A bumper day of British tennis is in store with nine home hopes in action. Murray’s match with Peniston is second on Centre Court while Norrie’s clash with Tomas Machac is scheduled last on Court One.

Elsewhere, Britain’s number one female Katie Boulter opens Court 18 against Daria Saville, while Heather Watson – who reached the fourth round last year – will try and topple 10th seed Barbora Krejcikova.

George Loffhagen, Arthur Fery and Sonay Kartal are also scheduled for action, while Dan Evans will return to complete his first-round match after bad light forced him off just after he had slipped two sets down to France’s Quentin Halys.

Match of the day

Stefanos Tsitsipas opens his Wimbledon campaign against former US Open champion Dominic Thiem in one of several mouthwatering ties on the second day of the 2023 Championships.

It represents a tricky draw for fifth seed Tsitsipas, who made the Australian Open final in January but traditionally struggles on the English lawn and has only made the fourth round on one occasion in five appearances.

Austrian Thiem has endured a torrid time since his Flushing Meadows win in 2020, plagued by wrist injuries in particular, and has not played this grand slam since 2019. Nevertheless, he will relish the chance to put his name back in the headlines on Court Two.

Queue storm to rumble on

Day one saw lengthy queues and a number of Wimbledon fans decide to give up on their attempts to see some of the action in SW19.

Organisers later confirmed increased security, in place due to fears over protests, had resulted in entry via the queue being slower than past years, with club executive Sally Bolton acknowledging Just Stop Oil’s presence at recent sporting events had raised alarm bells for the All England Club.

Spectators set for day two will hope for a more slick process on Tuesday.

Weather

Bookies favourites Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek made light work of their day one opponents to progress into the Wimbledon second round with ease.

Swiatek, a four-time grand-slam champion, has not always felt at ease on the lawn at the All England Club but produced a near-faultless display on Court One to down world number 34 Zhu Lin in straight sets.

It was a similar story for Djokovic, looking for a fifth straight title in SW19, and after a delay due to rain before a slippery surface saw leaf blowers required to dry the court, he strolled to victory over Pedro Cachin.

Harriet Dart was the first British hopeful to exit the Championships but Liam Broady, Jodie Burrage and Jan Choinski clinched victories to give the home crowd plenty to cheer.

Tweet of the dayPicture of the dayQuote of the dayBrit WatchShot of the dayStat of the dayRehabbing Raducanu checks in

Emma Raducanu is a one of a number of high-profile absentees from this year’s Wimbledon following surgery on both wrists and her left ankle in May.

The 2021 US Open champion has been hampered by injures since her stunning Flushing Meadows triumph and these latest setbacks ruled her out of the grass-court season, but she was still able to make a surprise appearance on the opening day of the Championships.

Raducanu, in her role as global ambassador for Evian, attended their VIP auite alongside fellow British prospect Jack Draper before the duo were involved in Vodaphone’s Connection Experience in the Southern Village.

Jodie Burrage is set to join Katie Boulter in the world’s top 100 after claiming her first grand slam victory at Wimbledon.

The 24-year-old has struggled with injuries during her career but has made big strides over the last year and a 6-1 6-3 victory over Caty McNally should be enough to see her achieve the rankings milestone.

Burrage, who had lost in the first round on her previous two appearances at the All England Club, revealed after the match how close she came to giving it all up.

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“After my third ankle operation, my mind had decided that that was it,” she said. “That was my tennis career done.

“But I somehow got back on the horse with help from family and friends, and my boyfriend as well, that really helped push through that not-so-nice time.

“To sit here saying I’ve won my first round at Wimbledon, hopefully going to be in the top 100 in two weeks, I was not expecting that, but I’m very happy that it’s happened.”

Burrage was joined in the second round by Liam Broady and debutant Jan Choinski on a broadly positive day for the home contingent.

Broady has achieved some of the best results of his career here, including a run to the third round 12 months ago, and he claimed a 6-1 6-3 7-5 victory over France’s Constant Lestienne to reach the last 64 for the fourth time.

The 29-year-old was spurred on by a message of support from Manchester City, saying: “It was cool. It was about 20 or 30 minutes before I went on today. They tweeted me. I thought, ‘Oh, God, I’m not going to tweet them now before the match, I want to try and get a win, then I can reply’.

“They’re amazing. They’re always so supportive of me. I can remember playing here at the age of 17 and buzzing off them tweeting me. It’s still the same to this day. I absolutely love it. I’m grateful they keep a track of my career the way I keep a track of the football club.”

Broady now gets a shot at fourth seed Casper Ruud and, asked if he minds which court he plays on, said: “I’m playing the number four in the world second round of Wimbledon. I’ll play him back up in Stockport if I have to.”

Choinski will be a new name for many British fans. The son of British and Polish ballet dancers and born and brought up in Germany, he switched allegiance to Britain in 2018.

He is inexperienced on grass but appears to be learning quickly and claimed the best victory of his career with a 5-7 7-6 (4) 6-2 6-2 win over Serbian Dusan Lajovic.

“I feel absolutely amazing,” said Choinski. “And the crowd was electric tonight at my court. Even though it was one of the smaller courts, I felt carried by the crowd, carried by the whole team. My mum especially, as well. My girlfriend. So just an amazing day.”

The 27-year-old will next face his former junior doubles partner Hubert Hurkacz, the 17th seed.

Harriet Dart was the first British player on court, and the first knocked out of the tournament, with the 26-year-old disappointed with her own performance in a 6-7 (4) 6-0 6-4 loss to France’s Diane Parry.

“I’ve had a really good grass-court season,” said Dart. “It’s just disappointing that my worst match of the grass-court season came here.”

Katie Swan had a tough assignment against 14th seed Belinda Bencic and was unable to capitalise on an early break in a 7-5 6-2 defeat.

“I just didn’t play well enough in the big moments,” she said. “But she’s a great player. I knew it was going to be tough. There’s positives to take from it and also lots to learn and take forward.”

British number two Dan Evans did not get on court until late in the day and will have to come back on Tuesday with a mountain to climb trailing France’s Quentin Halys 6-2 6-3.

Evans arrived at the tournament low on confidence after a difficult year and it showed, with the 33-year-old a shadow of the player he can be, particularly on grass.

As well as Evans, Cameron Norrie, Katie Boulter, Heather Watson, George Loffhagen, Arthur Fery and Sonay Kartal are in action on Tuesday along with the Centre Court clash between Andy Murray and Ryan Peniston.

British wild card Jan Choinski paid tribute to the home crowd at Wimbledon after they “carried” him through to a second-round meeting with former doubles partner Hubert Hurkacz.

German-born Choinski, the son of an English ballet dancer, changed allegiances in 2019 and rewarded the faith placed in him at the All England Club with an excellent 5-7 7-6 (4) 6-2 6-2 win over world number 56 Dusan Lajovic.

During his main draw debut at the Championships, Choinski fought back from a set down on Court 17 to secure the biggest victory of his career and set up a clash with 2021 Wimbledon semi-finalist Hurkacz, who is Polish like his father.

“I feel absolutely amazing and the crowd was electric at my court,” Choinski said.

“Even though it was one of the smaller courts, I felt carried by the crowd, carried by the whole team, the whole LTA support that was there, my mum especially, and my girlfriend.

“So, yeah, just an amazing day. I’m happy that I could produce some good tennis.”

On the prospect of facing Hurkacz next, Choinski revealed: “We had great contact as juniors.

“We played many doubles tournaments together. As a matter of fact, we won Roehampton, a junior grade one tournament, leading up to Wimbledon in 2014. Then we also played Wimbledon doubles together.

“I’m always great friends with the Polish squad. We practised together a lot. Yeah, he’s done very good for himself. I’m happy to see him where he is right now. I’m thankful for the challenge and thankful to be able to play him in the second round.”

Choinski and world number 18 Hurkacz last partnered up in 2016 and the past seven years have brought a number of challenges for the six-foot-five right-hander.

After he started out playing for Germany, a conversation with Britain’s Davis Cup captain Leon Smith at the IMG academy in 2018 set the wheels in motion for a nationality switch.

Being a British citizen, due to his mother being born in Southampton, Choinski was able to smoothly link up with the LTA.

But surgeries on his hip and shoulder followed, sandwiched by the coronavirus pandemic, and he was ruled out of Wimbledon last year with Covid-19.

His spell on the sidelines saw Choinski drop to 692 in the ATP rankings in August but he never once contemplated walking away from the sport and after impressing at several ITF and Challenger Tour events, he was delighted to justify his place in SW19 with a fine win.

World number 167 Choinski said: “This time last year? I was struggling with mononucleosis and Covid on top of that.

“I was 26 at that time, had almost dropped all my ranking points and came back from two years of being out, two years of being injured, two surgeries.

“But I just never wanted to leave tennis, put tennis by the side. I just thought I’ve got more in myself and I want to show it.

“My attitude is never to really think that’s it. I never doubted it for one second. Never said for one second that I want to stop.

“My love and the passion for the sport is just so big. Also my love for practising, working on myself, getting better, seeing progress day by day.

“After my second surgery, I basically locked myself into National Tennis Centre at the LTA. I got the best support I could have, but we were working so hard.

“We were working six days a week from nine in the morning till six at night. Sometimes I was sleeping there.

“I’d go into the gym or something by myself at eight in the evening and still do another rehab session to try and speed up the whole process of rehab.

“Then we got to a point where I finally was able to compete again after six months or something.

“Yeah, it’s great being here representing Great Britain and being able to produce some good tennis in the first round.”

Venus Williams said she was “killed by the grass” after suffering a nasty fall as her emotional Wimbledon return ended in Centre Court defeat to Elina Svitolina.

The 43-year-old, whose first outing at SW19 came in 1997, was absent from the singles draw last year but was handed a wild card into this year’s tournament.

However, the five-time champion did not make it past the opening afternoon as she went down 6-4 6-3 to the Ukrainian having been injured in the opening moments of the match.

She slipped approaching the net in the third game and fell to the ground, shrieking loudly in agony.

It looked like that may be the end of her afternoon, but she was able to carry on, though admitted she was in so much pain she could not focus on the match.

“Grass is inherently going to be slippery. You’re going to fall at some point. It was just bad luck for me,” she said.

“I started the match perfectly. I was literally killing it, then I got killed by the grass.

“It’s not fun right now. I felt like I was in great form coming into this tournament, and great form in the match.

“It’s all very shocking at the moment. This is sports. I’m hitting the ball well.

“Hopefully I can just figure out what’s happening with me and move forward.

“I think what makes this one hard to process is I’ve had so many injuries. I’ve been missing from tour for quite a while. This is not what I want for myself.

“This kind of fall, I didn’t do anything wrong. I just went for the ball. There’s nothing I can really do about it.

“Those kinds of things are hard to process emotionally, mentally and physically on the court.

“I just couldn’t figure it out today. It was just real challenging. I’ve played through a lot of injuries and won a lot of matches injured.

“It’s almost a specialty of mine. I just couldn’t figure it out today.”

It remains to be seen whether this will be her Wimbledon swansong, as it was for her sister Serena 12 months ago, but time is obviously ticking on one of the all-time great tennis careers.

Williams would not commit on whether she would be fit enough to play at the US Open later this summer.

She added: “I’ve got to figure out my next plan. Right now I’m kind of in shock. I just can’t believe this happened. It’s, like, bizarre. I don’t know. I’m still processing it at the moment.”

Svitolina, who is making a return of her own after missing last year’s tournament following the birth of her first child, proved she is still a top-class player and was not going to let Williams off lightly.

But she admits she was fearing the worst when the veteran was screaming in agony.

“She screamed really loud, I was shaken up,” she said. “I was really shocked in a way, because I thought it was really, really serious.

“So I was really happy for her actually that she could stand up after and didn’t take a medical timeout. She just was checking how the knee is. And then we continue playing.

“I was really happy, because it’s such a horrible injury, the knee injury. Any injury is bad, but, you know, she screamed really loud. So I really got scared.”