Rafael Nadal was forced to work for a first-round victory over Francisco Cerundolo on Centre Court at Wimbledon.
The world number two overcame a scare to secure a 6-4 6-3 3-6 6-4 win at SW19 despite making 41 unforced errors as he eyes a first calendar Grand Slam.
Second seed Nadal, who won his first grass-court match in three years in an exhibition match against Stan Wawrinka last week, secured a break in the fourth game but Argentine Cerundolo immediately responded, finishing with a strong overhead volley after the Spaniard lost his footing after his service.
Cerundolo was certainly not fazed by his all-conquering opponent, with the pair exchanging thrilling rallies and both displaying an array of brilliant shots in a first set that Nadal won by breaking for a second time.
The 22-time major champion made a scrappy start to the second set, but a solitary break in the sixth game put him one set away from round two.
In the third, Cerundolo continued to battle as he broke Nadal back immediately to peg him back at 2-2 and edged in front at 5-3 before serving out the set to raise hopes he could pull off a huge shock.
The world number 42 continued to excel as he opened up a 3-1 lead in the fourth set, but Nadal roared back and won 11 consecutive points, breaking twice to seal his spot in the second round without being taken the distance.
He will face Ricardas Berankis in the second round at the All England Club.
Data slam: Nadal matches Navratilova record
Nadal's victory saw him equal the great Martina Navratilova's record of 306 grand slam wins in his career.
That puts him joint-fourth on the all-time list, behind only Roger Federer (369), Serena Williams (365) and Novak Djokovic (328)
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Nadal – 23/41
Cerundolo – 30/46
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Nadal – 5/3
Cerundolo – 2/2
BREAK POINTS WON
Nadal – 6/14
Cerundolo – 4/18
Red Bull have terminated the contract of their test and reserve driver Juri Vips after he allegedly used racist language during an online gaming stream.
The Estonian, who races in Formula 2 for Hitech Grand Prix, was suspended last week following incident broadcast live on Twitch.
On Tuesday, Red Bull announced that the 21-year-old had been sacked.
A statement from the Formula One team read: "Following its investigation into an online incident involving Juri Vips, Oracle Red Bull Racing has terminated Juri's contract as its test and reserve driver.
"The team do not condone any form of racism."
Vips is highly rated within the young driver ranks and was seen as a leading contender for a seat with AlphaTauri, but was leapfrogged in the pecking order by Yuki Tsunoda following a coronavirus-disrupted 2020 campaign.
He drove for Red Bull in the first practice session at last month's Spanish Grand Prix and was likely to get further opportunities this season due to F1 regulations that promote the use of young drivers.
The sacking of Vips follows condemnation from Formula One and Red Bull towards former driver Nelson Piquet, who allegedly used a racial slur towards Lewis Hamilton last year.
The ACC has announced a new scheduling format for football with the elimination of divisions and the implementation of a 3-5-5 opponent structure.
The new system, revealed on Tuesday, will come into effect from 2023.
In the new scheduling model, all 14 ACC schools will now have three primary opponents who they will face each year. They will play each of the other 10 schools once over a two-year span – five one year and the other five the next.
In this format, every ACC team will play all conference foes at least once at home and once on the road over a four-year cycle.
This ends years of an unbalanced schedule that resulted in some ACC schools going nearly a decade without facing another conference member. For instance, Florida State and Pittsburgh, as well as Miami and Wake Forest have not faced one another since 2013.
''The future ACC football scheduling model provides significant enhancements for our schools and conference, with the most important being our student-athletes having the opportunity to play every school both home and away over a four-year period,'' ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said.
The new system eliminates the current two-division format, though the conference championship game will remain. Instead of the two division champions meeting, the top two teams based on conference winning percentage will square off in the title game.
“In the end, it was clear this model is in the best interest of our student-athletes, programs and fans, at this time,” Phillips said.
The three permanent scheduling partners for each ACC team starting in 2023 are as follows:
Boston College: Miami, Pitt, Syracuse.
Clemson: Florida State, Georgia Tech, N.C. State.
Duke: North Carolina, N.C. State, Wake Forest.
Florida State: Clemson, Miami, Syracuse.
Georgia Tech: Clemson, Louisville, Wake Forest.
Louisville: Georgia Tech, Miami, Virginia.
Miami: Boston College, Florida State, Louisville.
North Carolina: Duke, N.C. State, Virginia.
N.C. State: Clemson, Duke, North Carolina.
Pitt: Boston College, Syracuse, Virginia Tech.
Syracuse: Boston College, Florida State, Pitt.
Virginia: Louisville, North Carolina, Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech: Pitt, Virginia, Wake Forest.
Wake Forest: Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech.
Feliciano Lopez equalled Roger Federer's record of 81 main-draw appearances at grand slam events in the Open era but he was beaten in the first round at Wimbledon.
The 40-year-old made his grand slam debut at the 2001 French Open and had appeared in every major since the 2002 event in Paris until he failed to progress through qualifying at Roland Garros this year.
Spaniard Lopez went down in straight sets to Botic van de Zandschulp at SW19 on Tuesday.
Ranked 214 in the world, Lopez is a three-time quarter-finalist at the All England Club, while he also reached the quarter-finals of the US Open in 2015.
Since then, the veteran has never progressed further than the third round at a grand slam.
Fabrice Santoro is third on the list behind Federer and Lopez with 70 main-draw appearances at majors, with Mikhail Youzhny and Fernando Verdasco on 69.
Nick Kyrgios hit out at a "rowdy" Wimbledon crowd after coming through a five-set thriller with Brit Paul Jubb in the first round.
The Australian was forced to come from behind to avoid a surprise exit, ultimately prevailing 3-6 6-1 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 on No.3 Court on Tuesday.
In a typically tempestuous performance, the world number 40 was frustrated by certain members of a partisan home crowd.
Kyrgios also accused a line judge of being a "snitch" as he aimed his grievances at the chair umpire, also calling for vocal spectators to be ejected.
The 27-year-old let his feelings be known after wrapping up his victory in just over three hours and paid tribute to his opponent.
"It was tough, he's a local wildcard, had nothing to lose and he played exceptional tennis at times," he stated. "He's going to be a good player for sure, I'm just happy to get through.
"The crowd was pretty rowdy. A couple of people were not shy in criticising me so that one is for you, you know who you are.
"Playing here is a lot of fun, Wimbledon over the last couple of years has been strange. We had bubbles last year and no ranking points this year, but it's special.
"It would've been a tough loss to take and I'm happy to get through. I just talk a lot on the court but off the court I'm not too bad."
Kyrgios will face either Serbia's Filip Krajinovic or the Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka in the second round on Thursday.
Iga Swiatek is through to the second round at Wimbledon thanks to a straight-sets defeat of Jana Fett on Tuesday.
While the top seed did not have it all her own way in the second set, she ultimately had more than enough to see off Fett 6-0 6-3.
All early signs pointed to a comfortable win for Swiatek as world number 252 Fett looked nervous, committing 14 unforced errors to her opponent's four in the first set.
As such, Swiatek's first-set bagel arrived with the Pole barely breaking a sweat, but her level dropped in the second and allowed Fett a foothold.
Fett broke to love in the first game of the second set, and although Swiatek instantly hit back, the Croatian then broke again before managing to consolidate and go 3-1 up.
But she passed up five break points as Swiatek began to build her way back, and the world number one was soon a break to the good, with Fett's 23 unforced errors, which included nine double faults, proving her downfall.
A sloppy return from Fett gave Swiatek match point, and the former put her next shot straight into the net as the favourite became the first female player since Martina Hingis in 1997 to win 36 successive matches.
Data slam: Swiatek bagels again
Remarkably, Swiatek's first-set bagel was her 17th of the season. This century, only Serena Williams (25 in 2013) and Kim Clijsters (18 in 2003) have managed more in a single year.
While Fett made life a little trickier in the second, the nature of Swiatek's first-set performance almost made victory a formality and few would bet against her repeating her bagel feat in the second round.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Swiatek – 10/15
Fett – 7/23
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Swiatek – 0/3
Fett – 1/9
BREAK POINTS WON
Swiatek – 6/10
Fett – 2/8
A retired federal judge will make a decision on Deshaun Watson's immediate NFL future, with a hearing set to begin on Tuesday determining whether he violated the league's personal conduct policy.
The Cleveland Browns quarterback was sued by 24 women who accused him of sexual misconduct during massage sessions in 2020 and 2021, when he was with the Houston Texans.
Twenty of those civil lawsuits recently ended with confidential settlements and Watson, who will attend the hearing in person, denies any wrongdoing.
Two grand juries in Texas have already looked at complaints against Watson and declined to indict him on criminal charges, though the NFL conduct policy does not require criminal charges in order to bring discipline.
Following an NFL investigation, it is widely reported they will seek an indefinite suspension of at least a year.
The league's personal conduct policy aims to hold players and personnel to a "higher standard" and make sure they conduct themselves appropriately.
Retired federal judge Sue Robinson is the disciplinary officer appointed for the case and will issue a verdict on whether any violation occurred.
A verdict is expected next week before training camp but that may not bring the end to the matter.
Watson's representatives and the NFL Players Association would have the ability to appeal against any punishment, such as a suspension, while the NFL could also appeal for an increased sanction if they do not agree with the verdict.
But there will be no appeals if he is cleared of the charges.
Watson is hoping to avoid being sidelined for the second season in a row. He was not suspended in the 2021 campaign but did not play for the Texans amid his legal issues, having also requested a trade.
One of the game's leading QBs, Watson was ultimately traded in March this year. The Browns gave him a record guaranteed contract of $230million over five years.
A racial slur allegedly used by Nelson Piquet towards Lewis Hamilton has been condemned in statements from Formula One and Mercedes, following significant backlash towards the former world champion.
Reports in Brazil have highlighted an interview conducted with Piquet following the 2021 British Grand Prix, where the 69-year-old allegedly used racist language when assessing the collision between Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
That collision was one of a number between the two title rivals last season and led Verstappen to retire from the race, with Hamilton going on to secure victory.
Footage alleges that Piquet used a racial slur towards seven-time world champion Hamilton, which has led both F1 and Mercedes to issue statements condemning the language – although both have faced social media backlash for not identifying Piquet.
The statement from F1 read: "Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society. Lewis is an incredible ambassador for our sport and deserves respect."
"His tireless efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are a lesson to many and something we are committed to at F1."
Mercedes stated: "We condemn in the strongest terms any use of racist or discriminatory language of any kind.
"Lewis has spearheaded our sport’s efforts to combat racism, and he is a true champion of diversity on and off track.
"Together, we share a vision for a diverse and inclusive motorsport, and this incident underlines the fundamental importance of continuing to strive for a brighter future."
Matteo Berrettini has withdrawn from Wimbledon after testing positive for coronavirus.
The eighth seed was due to face Cristian Garin in the first round on Tuesday but will now take no part after suffering with mild flu-like symptoms in the past few days.
Berrettini was the runner-up at SW19 last year and, after winning at Queen's for the second straight year last week, was considered to be among the favourites to go all the way at the All England Club.
But the Italian revealed his status on social media.
He wrote: "I am heartbroken to announce that I need to withdraw from Wimbledon due to a positive COVID-19 test result. I have had flu symptoms and been isolating the last few days.
"Despite symptoms not being severe, I decided it was important to take another test this morning to protect the health and safety of my fellow competitors and everyone else involved in the tournament.
"I have no words to describe the extreme disappointed I feel. The dream is over for this year, but I will be back stronger. Thank you for the support."
Andy Murray has defended using an underam serve in his four-set Wimbledon victory over James Duckworth and believes the tactic should be seen as smart.
The two-time Wimbledon champion recovered from a set down to win 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 against the Australian on Monday.
Murray maintained his record of having never lost in the first round at SW19, throwing in an underarm serve to help him win a point in the third set.
The Scot insisted using the underam serve, a move often associated with Duckworth's compatriot Nick Kyrgios, is a legitimate tactic and not a sign of disrespect to an opponent.
"He changed his return position, that's why I did it," Murray explained after the match.
"He was struggling a little bit on the first-serve return, so he stepped probably two metres further back. As soon as I saw him step further back, I threw the underarm serve in.
"I personally have no issue with players using it. I never have. Certainly more and more players have started returning from further behind the baseline now to give themselves an advantage to return.
"No one says it's disrespectful for someone to return from five or six metres behind the baseline to try to get an advantage.
"So I used it, not to be disrespectful to him, but to say, 'if you're going to step further back to return the serve to give yourself more time, then I'm going to exploit that'.
"I've never understood that [argument it is disrespectful]. It's a legitimate way of serving.
"I would never use an underarm serve if someone was standing on the baseline because I think it's a stupid idea because they're going to track it down and it's easy to get.
"If they stand four or five metres behind the baseline, then why would you not do that to try to bring them forward if they're not comfortable returning there? Tactically, it's a smart play."
Murray will face big-serving American John Isner in the second round on Wednesday, having won each of the duo's eight previous head-to-head meetings.
He was happy with how he felt physically after beating Duckworth, having returned from the abdominal injury he suffered while reaching the Stuttgart Open final earlier this month.
"The last few days when I've been serving was fine," he said. "I went to get an ultrasound scan on it on Saturday after my practice just to see how it was progressing.
"It was all clear for the first time on the scans, which is really positive. I wanted that kind of for my own peace of mind to know that the injury has healed.
"Obviously I still need to take precautions and still do some rehab and protect it when I can, but in the match it was absolutely fine."
Sonny Gray pitched seven scoreless innings as the Minnesota Twins stretched their lead atop the American League Central on Monday, trouncing the Cleveland Guardians 11-1.
Gray was in solid form for the Twins despite only striking out three, giving up only three hits over 97 pitches in those seven innings.
The biggest surprise of the night was the Twins dominating at the plate without a big performance from Luis Arraez, who went zero-for-three on the night. Gary Sanchez's three-run home run in the second inning off Triston McKenzie helped set up the win.
Nick Gordon and Carlos Correa each added home runs in the first a high-profile five-game series in the AL Central.
With the opening win, the Twins extended their lead in the division to three games over the Guardians, who have now lost their last five games.
Yankees leave it late against A's
Josh Donaldson hit a two-run double to spark a winning six-run sixth inning for the New York Yankees, who claimed a 9-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics.
Trailing 5-3 coming into the bottom of the sixth, the Pinstripes were able to rally on the back of catcher's interference calls, a hit batter and a walk to set Donaldson's double up and the eventual win.
The Yankees moved to 54-20 for the season, extending their lead over the Houston Astros in the American League to eight games.
Yepez and Cards crush Marlins
The St. Louis Cardinals moved to within a game of the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, shutting out the Miami Marlins 9-0.
Cardinals designated hitter Juan Yepez had the first multi-home run game of his career, going long off Pablo Lopez and Richard Bleier in the fourth and sixth innings respectively.
Paul Goldschmidt now leads the major leagues for batting average (.347) and OBP (.429) after claiming four hits from as many at-bats.
Mercedes are "cautiously optimistic" of competing at Silverstone with a car that, according to their chief technical officer, is "definitely on the mend".
It has been a difficult Formula One season for Mercedes, who sit third in the constructors' standings, 116 points off pace-setters Red Bull.
While new boy George Russell has performed well and sits fourth in the Drivers' Championship with 111 points – 64 behind leader Max Verstappen – seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is down in sixth.
Hamilton has struggled to adapt to Mercedes' new car and often been unable to hide his frustration with the vehicle's performance, though he did manage a third-place finish in Montreal last time out.
Third is the best Mercedes have achieved in any race in 2022, with Russell achieving it in Spain, Azerbaijan and Australia, and Hamilton clinching the final podium place in Bahrain as well as Canada.
Ahead of the British Grand Prix, Mercedes' CTO James Allison believes the team are finding a way to be competitive following two successive podium finishes.
He told Sky Sports: "Everyone in our factory doesn't dare say it, but we're cautiously optimistic of having a more competitive weekend than some of those we've had of late.
"I think some of the characteristics of this circuit will suit the car. We don't have a car capable of winning from the front yet. But I think as long as we can get the car tamed through Maggots Becketts and around the faster of the corners, then I think we have a decent chance of a competitive showing, and maybe if the Red Bulls stumble, who knows, but I'm hopeful of a better weekend."
When it was put to him that victory at Silverstone would be an emotional one, Allison quipped: "Absolutely, well I'd cry!
"It'd be a fantastic thing. I've just got my fingers crossed that we'll have a creditable showing with a car that is definitely on the mend."
Five-time All-Star guard John Wall plans to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers after reaching a buyout agreement with the Houston Rockets, ESPN reported on Monday.
Wall will relinquish $6.5million of the $47.4m he was owed for the upcoming season, the final one of a four-year, $171m extension he signed in 2017 while a member of the Washington Wizards. Yahoo Sports first reported that a buyout had been reached.
The 31-year-old will be joining a Clippers team that reached the Western Conference Finals in 2020-21 but were ousted in this year’s play-in, dealing with long injury absences for stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Leonard missed the entire season recovering from a torn ACL sustained in the 2021 playoffs, while a torn elbow ligament limited George to 31 games.
Wall also did not play in 2021-22 due to reported differences between the veteran and the rebuilding Rockets over his potential role, and he hasn’t played more than 41 games in a season since 2016-17 due to several injuries.
The top pick of the 2010 NBA Draft missed much of 2017-18 due to a knee injury that required surgery and sat the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered in January 2019.
Houston acquired Wall from the Wizards in December 2020 for former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook, and he averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in the lone season he took the court for the Rockets despite being limited to 40 games.
Kyrie Irving has exercised his $37 million player option with the Brooklyn Nets for next season, confirming his decision on Monday.
The move ends any chance of a sign-and-trade deal and takes Irving off the market when the free agency negotiating period begins on Thursday.
Locking in the enigmatic Irving ends speculation of him fleeing—for now, at least.
Earlier this off-season, Irving had given the Nets a list of approved destinations if a sign-and-trade deal were to happen. The only team on the list that explored acquiring Irving was the Los Angeles Lakers, ESPN reported earlier Monday.
“Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow,” Irving told The Athletic. “I've made my decision to opt in. See you in the fall. A11even.”
Irving has played just 103 of a possible 226 games since signing with Brooklyn in the 2019 off-season.
Irving chose not to receive any COVID-19 vaccinations, leaving him unable to play for much of last season due to municipal regulations in New York. He played 29 games in 2021-22, averaging 27.4 points and 5.8 assists.
Andy Murray said he intends to make the most of every appearance on Centre Court after recovering from one set down to beat James Duckworth in his Wimbledon opener.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Murray took two hours and 43 minutes to record a 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 win over the Australian, maintaining his record of having never fallen at the first hurdle in SW19.
Murray is making just his second Wimbledon appearance since 2017 and is looking to better last year's run to the third round, where he suffered a straight-sets reverse against Denis Shapovalov.
Having endured a spate of injuries and undergone two hip surgeries since his last Wimbledon triumph in 2016, the 35-year-old said he will enjoy every opportunity he gets to play in front of a home crowd on Centre Court.
"It's amazing to be back out here again with a full crowd after the last few years, amazing atmosphere," he said.
"Obviously I'm getting on a bit now, so I don't know how many more opportunities I'll get to play on this court. I want to make the most of every time I get to come out here now.
"I'm glad I managed to get through and hopefully I'll get another match on here in a couple of days."
After fighting back to beat the world number 74, Murray expressed his hope he could grow into the tournament as he advances.
"I thought I did well to rebound after the first set, he likes playing on the grass, he's come back from a hip surgery himself in January and was playing very well," he added.
"Once I started to find my returns a little bit more as the match went on, I felt a bit more comfortable and did well to get through.
"Naturally, there's always nerves and pressure and butterflies and stress and all of those things before the first match, it was a longer build-up for me than usual because of the ab injury I had after Stuttgart [where Murray finished as runner-up earlier this month].
"I've done a lot of practising here, I've been at the venue a lot in the last couple of weeks so yeah, it was great to get out here, get a win under my belt and hopefully I'll play better from here on in."
Murray will face big-serving American John Isner in the second round on Wednesday, having won each of the duo's eight previous head-to-head meetings.
Twin brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin, along with former Vancouver Canucks team-mate Roberto Luongo and long-time Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, headline the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2022.
Finish women's hockey great Riikka Sallinen and Herb Carnegie, a black hockey pioneer, were also selected Monday to be inducted in November.
Daniel and Henrik played all 17 of their NHL seasons together for the Canucks after being selected second and third overall in the 1999 NHL draft.
Henrick finished his career with 1,070 points and won the 2009-10 league scoring title and the Hart Trophy as league MVP that season, while Daniel ended with 1,041 points and won the NHL scoring title in 2010-11 with 104 points.
Henrik routinely set up his brother, finishing his career with 830 assists (27th all time) while Daniel was the beneficiary of Henrik's passes, tallying 393 goals.
The brothers each won an Olympic gold medal for Sweden at the 2006 Games and helped lead the Canucks to 11 playoffs trips and a berth in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.
While the Sedins fuelled the offense for those Canucks teams, Luongo protected the net, serving as Vancouver's goaltender from 2006-07 until he was traded to the Florida Panthers on in March 2014.
Over a 19-season career from 1999-2000 to 2018-19, Luongo ranks second among all goalies with 1,044 games played while his 489 wins are fourth most.
A three-time finalist for the Vezina Trophy, Luongo ranks ninth all time with 77 career shutouts and was also the goalie on the Canada team that won the 2010 Olympic gold medal.
Alfredsson, who also won an Olympic gold as a team-mate of the Sedins on the 2006 Sweden team, spent 17 of his 18 NHL seasons with the Senators.
The winner of the 1995-96 Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie, Alfredsson finished his career with 444 goals (tied for 64th all time) and 1,157 points (55th most in NHL history).
Sallinen, the first woman not born in North America to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, won bronze medals for Finland at the 1998 and 2018 Olympics, while Carnegie, who died in 2012 at the age of 92, is widely considered the best black hockey player to never play in the NHL.
Spain's appeal over their disqualification from the 2023 Rugby World Cup has been dismissed, with Romania taking their place in next year's tournament.
Los Leones booked a place in the competition for the first time in 24 years in March through the Rugby Europe Championship.
However, World Rugby announced in April that Spain had been booted out of the competition after being found to have fielded an ineligible player in two preliminary matches.
South African Gavin Van den Berg played twice for Spain, but his eligibility was questioned by rivals Romania, with World Rugby deciding he did not fit the criteria.
To qualify on residency rules, players involved in qualifying needed to have lived in their chosen country for 36 consecutive months.
The Spanish Rugby Federation (FER) pinned the blame on an alleged forgery of Van den Berg's passport, and they submitted new evidence to help support their appeal.
However, it was ruled inadmissible because the FER "had not adequately explained" why the evidence had not been made available prior to the first hearing.
World Rugby therefore upheld the previous decision and added that Spain – who also suffered a points deduction for fielding an ineligible player in their failed 2019 World Cup qualifying campaign – had no further right to appeal.
Romania will replace Spain in Pool B, which also contains Ireland, Scotland, reigning world champions South Africa and either an Asian or Pacific qualifier.
Portugal will take Romania's place in the Final Qualification Tournament in November 2022, with the competition itself scheduled to begin in France on September 8 next year.
Carlos Alcaraz insisted he is not feeling any pressure to be among the Wimbledon favourites after coming through a marathon four-hour clash with Jan-Lennard Struff to reach the second round.
Alcaraz, whose four Tour-level titles in 2022 are more than any other player on the ATP Tour, has been tipped for a deep run at Wimbledon after surging to seventh in the world rankings.
But the 19-year-old was on the brink of a stunning first-round exit when he was taken to a fourth-set tie-break at 2-1 down on Monday, eventually recovering to post a gruelling 4-6 7-5 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 win on No. 1 Court.
In his post-match media conference, the Spaniard reiterated last week's claim that he is not one of the favourites to triumph in London, although he said he could win the tournament if he plays to the best of his ability.
"I don't feel the pressure because I don't rank myself as one of the favourites to win this tournament," Alcaraz said.
"Obviously if I play well, I have [the] level to win the tournament, but there are a lot more experienced players on grass. I don't feel the pressure."
Alcaraz also conceded his grass-court game can still improve as he hailed his tremendous serving display – which brought him 30 aces, as the reason for his victory.
"I enjoyed [the match] a lot," he added. "Great battle over four hours. For me, [to] play on grass is so beautiful. I like to play on grass.
"I would say my level on grass has to improve a little bit, but I'm happy with my level.
"I didn't expect to move as well as I did. I mean, I played really well, I felt really well playing on grass and I still don't know how I served [so well].
"This is probably my best match serving. This was a weapon that I used [and] that's why I won – the serve, for sure."
Alcaraz will face Tallon Griekspoor in the second round after the Dutch player overcame Fabio Fognini in four sets on day one.
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