Coco Gauff was dumped out of Wimbledon by her fellow American Sofia Kenin in a bruising contest on Court One.

The seventh seed, who made her big breakthrough in SW19 when she got to the fourth round as a 15-year-old in 2019, was a strong contender to challenge for the title this year but was beaten 6-4 4-6 6-2.

This was arguably Kenin’s best performance since she won the Australian Open in 2020 as she was able to out-hit her powerful opponent to incredibly register her first victory in a grand slam match since 2021.

There is a strong rivalry between these two and they went toe-to-toe over two hours and three minutes to leave the crowd enthralled.

An early break for Kenin, who had to come through qualification, was enough for her to take the first set as she both soaked up Gauff’s power and delivered some fine hitting of her own.

Gauff, playing on the court where she famously beat Venus Williams four years ago, hit back and crucially broke at 5-4 in the second set.

She would have been favourite to go on and win it but Kenin was resilient, getting an early break in the decider and then crucially adding a second at 4-2.

There were no problems for her serving it out as she claimed a memorable victory and a place in the second round.

She said in her on-court interview: “I am just super happy, Coco played a tough match, I knew I needed to play my best to win.

“I just tried to stick to my plan and I am just super happy I won before it got dark because I didn’t really feel like finishing it tomorrow to be honest.

“This means a lot, I had to go through qualies, I battled out there. I took this as just another match. I know Coco has had a great year so I am just super proud of myself.”

Wimbledon organisers face concerns over the Centre Court roof after Novak Djokovic’s first-round match against Pedro Cachin was delayed amid farcical scenes.

The four-time defending champion defeated Argentinian debutant Cachin 6-3 6-3 7-6 (4) but the clash was delayed for nearly an hour and a half after the first set because of a damp court despite the roof being deployed.

Djokovic had begun to complain about the surface but officials waited until the end of the set to cover the court.

While play resumed under the roof on Court One, Djokovic and Cachin came out to inspect the court with referee Gerry Armstrong, but it was clear the world number two in particular was not happy.

Playing in his first official match on the surface since last year, it was no surprise that Djokovic, who described trying to move on grass in the early stages of the tournament as “like walking on eggs”, was being extremely cautious.

The Serbian maintained good humour about the situation and re-emerged with a towel, which he proceeded to rub on the court to laughter from the crowd, before members of the ground staff used leaf blowers to try to dry the surface.

But it was not until the skies cleared and the roof was opened again that play was able to resume, rendering the expensive covering redundant.

Djokovic said later: “I was communicating quite a lot out of the court with the supervisor and referee, and the chairman of the club came down as well. They were all a little bit confused because that’s something that they never experienced ever since the roof was installed on the Centre Court.

“Both of us players wanted to come out. We did several times to show to the crowd that we want to play, we want to be there. But it was just too many places on the court which were too slippery and really moist.

“It was very strange that for more than an hour the situation was not changing at all for the better. I think it was a good call from the chair umpire (to carry on). I don’t think it has gotten too much wet from that maybe extra minute and a half or something.

“We were lucky that rain stopped so we could resume play with an open roof. Hopefully they’ll fix it because that’s one of the only two courts that has a roof. If it starts raining, if you can’t play under the roof, that’s a little bit of an issue for the schedule.”

Had it not been for the delay, this would have been pretty much the ideal start to Djokovic’s campaign for a record-equalling 24th grand slam singles title and eighth Wimbledon crown.

Cachin only played his first tour-level match on grass in Majorca last week and was never likely to prove too much of a test.

There was some early rust from Djokovic, who double-faulted to give Cachin a break for 2-1, but he hit straight back and manoeuvred himself into a 5-3 lead.

Djokovic is now on a 29-match winning streak on grass having not lost on the surface since a final defeat at Queen’s Club back in 2018.

He convincingly won the second set but Cachin earned applause from his opponent for his efforts in the third, which he pushed to a tie-break.

Djokovic had won all his tie-breaks at the French Open without making a single unforced error. That streak ended with a double fault here, and he netted a backhand on his first match point, but he took his third chance, winning it 7-4.

Stiffer tests will surely await, perhaps in the second round against Australian grass-court lover Jordan Thompson, but the defending champion is off and running.

Djokovic has not lost on Centre Court since his final defeat to Andy Murray in 2013, and he said: “It was a solid performance. I’ve been in these situations before so hopefully, as the tournament progresses, I’ll raise my level as well.”

Jan Choinski followed compatriots Liam Broady and Jodie Burrage into the second round with a fine victory over Dusan Lajovic on his main draw debut at Wimbledon.

German-born Choinski, who is the son of a British ballet dancer, changed allegiances in 2019 and received a wild card into round one at the All England Club for the first time this year.

Choinski rewarded the faith placed in him with an impressive 5-7 7-6 (4) 6-2 6-2 win against the world number 56.

Warm applause greeted Choinski’s arrival on Court 17, but he was made to wait five minutes before Lajovic arrived.

When the Serbian did turn up, he was able to break world 164 Choinski immediately, only to see it wiped out in similarly quick time.

Lajovic did manage to edge the opener but it failed to deter Choinski.

An even second set went to a tie-breaker and Choinski managed to hold his nerve.

It boosted the confidence of the British number six and, backed on by a growing crowd, he moved two sets up when he claimed the third.

There was no looking back now, with Choinski able to break Lajovic twice more in the fourth set to secure himself a spot in round two after two hours and 35 minutes.

Jodie Burrage feared she would have to give up her tennis career three years ago – but now she is celebrating a first Wimbledon win.

Burrage, 24, contemplated hanging up her racket and going to university instead after undergoing a third ankle operation.

But a 6-1 6-3 win over American Caty McNally – her maiden success at SW19 after consecutive first-round exits – has likely catapulted the British wild card into the top 100 for the first time.

“I’ve dealt with a lot of injuries throughout my career, and a lot of people telling me that I couldn’t get to the top, that I wouldn’t be a player when I was younger,” she said.

“After my third ankle operation, my mind had decided that that was it. 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.”

McNally was clearly hindered by a problem with her right thigh, which was heavily strapped, and Burrage broke her three times as she wrapped up the first set in only 22 minutes.

The world number 67 received treatment at the changeover and instantly improved, forcing a break after Burrage stopped to challenge a call which had clearly hit the baseline.

“I wasn’t happy with myself at all at that call but sometimes stuff like that happens. Unfortunately it was on a break point,” she added.

“But I think actually that fired me up a little bit. I was obviously annoyed with myself, but I used it in a positive way. ”

Burrage hit back with a double break, and converted a match point at the sixth time of asking to book a second-round meeting with 11th seed Daria Kasatkina.

Venus Williams suffered 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’s stay 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.

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, who only had two warm-up events in the run up to the tournament having previously not played since January, briefly gave hope that she could roll back the years as she broke Svitolina in her first service game.

But a slip as she approached the net in the third game saw her fall to the ground and shriek loudly in agony, and it looked like that might be the end of her return.

She was able to be patched up but, although she proved she still has the power to match anyone with some searing winners, her movement was hampered and Svitolina broke again on a run of four successive games.

That was enough for her to claim the first set and she strengthened her grip on the contest by immediately breaking at the start of the second to leave Williams facing an uphill task.

The veteran has overcome some obstacles in her time but this one proved too much.

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 as she raced to a 5-1 lead and served for the match at 5-2.

Much to the delight of the Centre Court crowd, though, Williams displayed her fighting spirit as she claimed one break back.

It only delayed the inevitable, though, as the Ukrainian closed it out on Williams’ serve to book her place in the second round.

Liam Broady made French magician Constant Lestienne disappear to reach round two at Wimbledon.

Lestienne is a part-time conjurer who performs at weddings and parties, but was unable to pull a rabbit out of the hat against British wild card Broady.

The 29-year-old from Stockport produced a spellbinding display to win 6-1 6-3 7-5.

Broady broke the world number 74 twice, either side of a brief rain delay, to race away with the first set in 27 minutes.

A pair of winners gave Broady another break and the advantage in the second.

Lestienne’s hopes vanished when Broady edged a nip-and-tuck third set to book his place in the second round in just over two hours.

Jodie Burrage made it third time lucky as she registered her first Wimbledon win by beating American Caty McNally.

British wild card Burrage had suffered first-round exits in the previous two years at SW19.

But the 24-year-old, who reached the final of the Nottingham Open last month, swept aside world number 67 McNally 6-1 6-3 to march into the second round.

Victory also means Burrage has likely broken into the top 100 for the first time.

McNally was clearly hindered by a problem with her right thigh, which was heavily strapped.

Ruthless Burrage broke her three times as she wrapped up the first set in only 22 minutes.

McNally received treatment on her thigh at the changeover and instantly improved, forcing a break after Burrage stopped to challenge a call which had clearly hit the baseline.

But Burrage hit back with a double break, and converted a match point at the sixth time of asking to wrap up victory in an hour and four minutes.

Novak Djokovic eased into the second round of Wimbledon amid farcical scenes on Centre Court.

The four-time defending champion defeated Argentinian debutant Pedro Cachin 6-3 6-3 7-6 (4) but the clash was delayed for nearly an hour and a half after the first set because of a damp court despite the roof being deployed.

Djokovic had begun to complain about the surface but officials waited until the end of the set to cover the court, which proved to be a major error.

While play resumed under the roof on Court One, Djokovic and Cachin came out to inspect the court with referee Gerry Armstrong, but it was clear the world number two in particular was not happy.

Playing in his first official match on the surface since last year, it was no surprise that Djokovic, who described trying to move on grass in the early stages of the tournament as “like walking on eggs”, was being extremely cautious.

The Serbian maintained good humour about the situation and re-emerged with a towel, which he proceeded to rub on the court to laughter from the crowd, before members of the ground staff used leaf blowers to try to dry the surface.

But it was not until the skies cleared and the roof was opened again that play was able to resume, rendering the expensive covering redundant.

Had it not been for the delay, this would have been pretty much the ideal start to Djokovic’s campaign for a record-equalling 24th grand slam singles title and eighth Wimbledon crown.

Cachin only played his first tour-level match on grass in Majorca last week and was never likely to prove too much of a test.

There was some early rust from Djokovic, who double-faulted to give Cachin a break for 2-1, but he hit straight back and manoeuvred himself into a 5-3 lead.

Djokovic is on a 28-match winning streak on grass having not lost on the surface since a final defeat at Queen’s Club back in 2018.

He convincingly won the second set but Cachin earned applause from his opponent for his efforts in the third, which he pushed to a tie-break.

Djokovic had won all his tie-breaks at the French Open without making a single unforced error. That streak ended with a double fault here, and he netted a backhand on his first match point, but he took his third chance, winning it 7-4.

Stiffer tests will surely await, perhaps in the second round against Australian grass-court lover Jordan Thompson, but the defending champion is off and running.

Andrey Rublev believes Wimbledon was wrong to ban him and his fellow Russians last year and said the only loser was the event itself.

The All England Club this year overturned its controversial decision to not allow players from Russia and Belarus to compete in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

“I think that, I mean, we were talking, and I think we could find the solution,” said world number seven Rublev after becoming the first man into the second round at this year’s Championships.

“Yeah, if we really want to help or do what is better for tennis and for the people, I think obviously there were better options. Not just to ban. Because in the end, (there) was no difference. They did only worse to themselves.

“So in the end, I think that there were options to do much better for everyone.

“Now we are here, I’m really happy to be back and to compete.”

The ATP and WTA tours subsequently stripped Wimbledon 2022 of ranking points in response to the ban.

This year, Russian and Belarusian players have all signed declarations stating they will not express support for either regime and that they are not receiving any direct or indirect government support.

Rublev, 25, recovered from 2-5 down in the second set on his way to beating Australian Max Purcell 6-3 7-5 6-4.

His victory set up an all-Russian clash with Aslan Karatsev in the second round.

Harriet Dart was gutted she saved her worst for Wimbledon after becoming the first British casualty of this year’s tournament.

Dart was beaten 6-7 (4) 6-0 6-4 by Frenchwoman Diane Parry in a disappointing display on Court 12.

It was a bitter blow considering the 26-year-old’s excellent form in the build-up to her home grand slam, having reached the quarter-finals in Nottingham and Birmingham.

She was not able to produce her best when it mattered on the big stage, though, and she was left with regrets.

“I felt pretty poor out there,” she admitted. “What’s amazing was I had a chance to win playing not great tennis.

“I still feel like I have so much to improve on.

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

“Naturally being British, you want to play well here.

“I just didn’t really get going. She also made it tricky for me. Credit to her, she played better tennis than me today.”

Dart, who reached the third round here in 2019, was up against it from the start in tricky conditions on Court 12, where the wind was causing issues, as she fell 3-0 down in the opening set.

But she found her feet and levelled at 5-5 after an impressive long rally ended in her firing a superb cross-court backhand winner.

That seemed to turn the tide as Dart went on take the set in a tie-break and the Briton would have been eyeing a straight-sets win.

But the wheels soon came off as Parry raised her level with some heavy forehand hitting and breezed to the second set in just 33 minutes without letting Dart win a game.

The writing was on the wall when Parry broke early in the decider to take a 3-1 lead, but to Dart’s credit she immediately hit back to stay in the match.

However, the world number 96 struck again at 5-4 to clinch her place in the second round and send the first home hope packing.

Dart played the match with strapping on her shoulder, though that played no part in her defeat.

She added: “We’ve just been managing it. It’s not been a serious problem. But, yeah, since Birmingham I’ve had some issues with it. I’ve been fine to play on it.”

Wimbledon fans witnessed farcical scenes on Centre Court as Novak Djokovic and opponent Pedro Cachin waited for the grass to dry in order to resume their match.

Light drizzle saw the court covered and then the roof deployed after Djokovic wrapped up the opening set 6-3 but, unlike on Court One, play did not then resume as scheduled.

Djokovic and Cachin came out to inspect the grass but the defending champion was clearly unhappy with the slipperiness of the surface and they headed back to the locker room.

Djokovic then re-emerged with a towel, which he proceeded to rub on the court to laughter from the crowd, before members of the ground staff used leaf blowers to try to dry the surface.

Play had not resumed by the time the rain stopped and the decision was taken to reopen the Centre Court roof before playing the second set.

Iga Swiatek did not take long to get her Wimbledon campaign off to a winning start as she easily disposed of Zhu Lin.

The world number one is looking to add to the French Open and US Open titles she has won in the last 10 months and made a convincing opening on Court One, winning 6-1 6-3.

The Pole does not have the best pedigree at SW19, having never made it past the fourth round, but signs are positive that this will be the year she has a proper crack at winning the title.

Chinese Zhu – ranked 34th in the world – was no match for her, with a routine victory only slightly delayed by a rain shower that saw the roof on Court One closed.

Fourth seed Jessica Pegula also made it through to the second round, but she was made to work hard against her fellow American Lauren Davis.

After comfortably winning the opener, Pegula was pegged back as it went to a decider only for her to regain control and seal a 6-2 6-7 (8) 6-3 victory.

Two-time US Open champion Victoria Azarenka also needed three sets to beat Yuan Yue 6-4 5-7 6-4.

Russian Liudmila Samsonova did not have the best return to Wimbledon as the 15th seed went out 7-6 (1) 7-6 (4) to Ana Bogdan, making her the biggest casualty on day one.

Harriet Dart was the first home player to be knocked out as she lost in three sets to Frenchwoman Diane Parry.

Harriet Dart became the first British casualty at Wimbledon after she lost in three sets to Frenchwoman Diane Parry.

The British number four had an impressive build-up to her home grand slam, reaching the quarter-finals in Nottingham and Birmingham, but fell 6-7 (4) 6-0 6-4 to Parry.

Dart, who reached the third round here in 2019, was up against it from the start in tricky conditions on Court 12, where the wind was causing issues, as she fell 3-0 down in the opening set.

But she found her feet and levelled at 5-5 after an impressive long rally ended in her firing a superb cross-court backhand winner.

That seemed to turn the tide as Dart went on take the set in a tie-break and the Briton would have been eyeing a straight-sets win.

But the wheels soon came off as Parry raised her level with some heavy forehand hitting and breezed to the second set in just 33 minutes without letting Dart win a game.

The writing was on the wall when Parry broke early in the decider to take a 3-1 lead, but to Dart’s credit she immediately hit back to stay in the match.

However, the world number 96 struck again at 5-4 to clinch her place in the second round and send the first home hope packing.

Wimbledon will celebrate Roger Federer’s achievements at the All England Club with a special ceremony on Centre Court on Tuesday.

The eight-time champion, who announced his retirement last September, will visit the scene of many of his greatest moments and be honoured before the start of play.

Chief executive Sally Bolton announced the news, saying: “I’m pleased to say that Roger will be with us tomorrow and we will have a special celebratory moment on Centre Court before play starts just to honour him as the man holding the most gentlemen’s singles titles here at Wimbledon.

“For those lucky enough to have a seat on Centre Court tomorrow I’d encourage them to get into their seats about 1.15pm and we’ll have a moment just to celebrate his achievements and to say thank you for all the memories.”

Federer has mostly stayed away from tennis since bowing out in emotional scenes at the Laver Cup in London but was similarly honoured at the grass-court event in Halle, Germany last month.

His last match at Wimbledon came in 2021 when, struggling with knee trouble, he lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the semi-finals. He also visited the club last year as part of the celebrations to mark 100 years of Centre Court.

Bolton revealed that Serena Williams, who bowed out a few weeks earlier at the US Open, had also been invited but was unable to travel.

“We invited Serena similarly this year but as you’ll know she’s pregnant so understandably couldn’t travel,” said Bolton. “We of course wish her lots of luck with the remainder of her pregnancy and we hope maybe we might see her next year.”

Novak Djokovic is capable of reaching 30 grand slam titles amid his "scary" run of major success, according to Mark Philippoussis.

The Serbian is a record 23-time grand slam champion, having already won the Australian Open and French Open this year.

And Djokovic will open his Wimbledon title defence on Centre Court against Argentine Pedro Cachin on Monday as he continues his pursuit of a calendar Grand Slam.

Djokovic is looking to match Roger Federer's records of eight Wimbledon titles overall and five consecutive wins at the tournament.

His seventh title at All England Club and his fourth straight success arrived last year with a four-set win over Nick Kyrgios in the final.

Philippoussis, who lost a Wimbledon final to Federer 20 years ago, sees no signs of Djokovic slowing down.

"What is he on, 23? I mean, if he stays healthy, could he break 30? Let's see if he plays for another few years, and he gets two a year, I mean, he's getting close to that, which is scary to think," Philippoussis said to Stats Perform.

"It's incredible and not only that, he's there two hours before he practices, he warms up properly, does all the right things, he's got his team around him. 

"And [after] he finishes practising, he warms down, he's there two to three hours even after he finishes practising, again with his team, which is a strong unit. 

"He does all the right things and still doesn't take the foot off the pedal.

"He's still looking to improve in any way he can, looking for the one per cent here, one per cent there, whether it's on or off the court, or his eating, or his fitness, it really is incredible."

Philippoussis believes Djokovic, who is 36, will break every significant tennis record before his career comes to an end.

Carlos Alcaraz has emerged as a huge threat to his dominance and is looking to end his Wimbledon winning streak, but the Australian still finds it difficult to bet against Djokovic.

"Djokovic is only slightly in front of Alcaraz, but it is impossible to look past him after what he's done at the Australian Open and the French Open," Philippoussis added.

"To beat Djokovic physically and mentally in five sets, you're going to have to be on in every department and that's if you find an opening from him, which is very, very difficult to find.

"What he's continuing to do in the game and the sport is incredible.

"I don't follow all the numbers, but if he's not past everything already, by the time he's done, I think he would be leading in pretty much all of the them. 

"Maybe Jimmy Connors is still ahead as far as [ATP] tournaments won, but I believe that by the time he's done, I think he will be leading all those departments."

French Open champion Iga Swiatek is the favourite in the women’s singles, although she has never previously made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Philippoussis thinks the women’s draw is far more open than on the men’s side. 

He said: "Swiatek is going to be a slight favourite but, again, grass is a different thing, it's completely different to other surfaces.

"Even though it has slowed over the years, it's still grass and you need to make those adjustments out on there. 

"You've got Rybakina, who hasn't had the best preparation, but she's definitely, as Wimbledon champion, going to have to be one of the favourites, and Sabalenka is definitely one of the favourites as well.

"But, in my opinion, I think the women’s is a little more open in the field, so I think a few girls have some opportunities."