For the first time in a long time, the home crowd at Wimbledon have a female player whom they could reasonably expect to challenge…
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic said Wimbledon should consider rule changes after both their first-round opponents retired with injuries.
Third seed Federer led 6-3 3-0 when Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov quit with an ankle injury after 43 minutes.
Second seed Djokovic progressed after a calf injury saw Martin Klizan pull out after 40 minutes at 6-2 2-0 down.
“We had a joke in the locker room saying we should maybe play a practice set on Centre Court,” said Djokovic.
Both Klizan and Dolgopolov have struggled with injuries recently and their retirements were among a total of eight – seven in the men’s draw and one in the women’s – over the first two days of the Championships.
The men’s tour, the ATP, introduced a rule at the start of 2017 that means a player can retire before a first-round match and retain their prize money.
A lucky loser then gets the place and money earned from qualifying, plus any further prize money accrued from the second round onwards.
The rule is not in place at the four Grand Slam tournaments.
“Maybe it should be addressed,” said Djokovic.
“I think the new rule that the ATP has reinforced allows players who have made it to the Grand Slam main draw to get what they deserve, but at the other hand allow someone else to play if they can.
“I support that kind of rule.”
First-round losers at Wimbledon earn £35,000 this year, potentially encouraging players to take to the court when they know they are not fit enough to compete.
“The question always is, should they have started the match at all?” said Federer.
“That, only the player can answer really, in my opinion. You hope that they would give up their spot for somebody else, even though they deserve to be in there, but fitness not allowing them.
“Maybe the Grand Slams should adopt some of that [the ATP rule], then maybe we would eliminate maybe half of the players [who retire],” said Federer.
“Some of them, maybe something really did happen. Now you’re thrown in the same basket, so that’s rough.”
Klizan suffered a recurrence of a calf injury that forced him out of tournaments in Rome and Geneva in May, and a groan went around Centre Court when, less than an hour later, Dolgopolov also failed to complete two sets.
The 15,000 spectators were at least cheered by the news that former world number one Caroline Wozniacki and Timea Babos would make a surprise appearance on Centre Court to bolster the schedule.
Three-time champion John McEnroe said on BBC Sport: “I do think when you saw Klizan, he clearly wasn’t ready or able to play from the very beginning.
“They’ve got to figure out some kind of rule change where, I suggest, they give him half the first-round prize money and bring someone else in who is at least fit and can go out 110%.
“It’s not a good look for our sport when you have to sit and watch that on Centre Court.
“For someone like Klizan, that £35,000 [first-round prize money] really matters and he’s reluctant to give that up.
“That’s where you need to get the powers-that-be at Wimbledon, the ATP, all the people involved in our sport, even a coach to speak to Martin and make him understand that in the best interests of the sport, and for himself – he’s risking a worse injury.
“This isn’t something that just cropped up, he’s had issues with this for a few months, so he’s got to get this sorted out.”
John Isner, who won through round one on Tuesday, spent 11 hours and five minutes on court when beating Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010.
The American could barely walk at the end of what is the longest match in history but insists only players in agony should quit at Grand Slam level.
The 32-year-old said: “I know the Wimbledon Centre Court didn’t get their money’s worth today. That’s for sure.
“If it’s just excruciating pain, OK, you can’t play. If something is tweaked here or there and you feel like you can give it a decent go without hurting yourself, I think they should stay out there and I think you owe it to the fans.”
Juan Martin del Potro overcame a battling Thanasi Kokkinakis to seal a 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 victory and reach the second round.
The Argentine 29th seed won the first set before turning his ankle in the second as the 21-year-old Australian took advantage to level.
A poor tie-break from Kokkinakis handed Del Potro an otherwise even third set.
Kokkinakis then saved six match points in the final game of the fourth set but Del Potro, 28, finally came through.
The former US Open champion will face Ernests Gulbis in round two after the Latvian, ranked 589 in the world, beat the Dominican Republic’s Victor Estrella Burgos 6-1 6-1 6-2.
Canadian sixth seed Milos Raonic, last year’s runner-up, saw off Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5 (7-5) 6-2 7-6 (7-4) in his opening match.
Elsewhere, seeded players Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and Tomas Berdych all won their respective first-round ties late on.
Queen’s Club champion Feliciano Lopez became the seventh man to retire in the first round when trailing France’s Adrian Mannarino 5-7 6-1 6-1 4-3.
Adrian Mannarino lets go of his racquet in frustration and almost hits Feliciano Lopez – much to Lopez’s surprise – in their first-round match at Wimbledon.
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Bernard Tomic says he felt “bored” and could not find motivation during his straight-set defeat by Mischa Zverev at Wimbledon.
The 24-year-old Australian lost 6-4 6-3 6-4 to Germany’s world number 30 in one hour and 19 minutes.
Tomic was ranked 17 in January 2016 but has fallen to 59 in the world.
He said: “I think I don’t respect the sport enough. You know, I’m going to play another 10 years, and I know after my career I won’t have to work again.”
Tomic, who has won three ATP Tour titles, has earned almost £4m in career prize money, including £35,000 for his defeat by Zverev.
When asked in his post-match news conference if he should repay the money from his limp defeat, he replied: “We all work for money. At 34, maybe I can donate to charity. If you ask Roger Federer if he’ll do it, I’ll do it.”
Tomic, who has not won a tour title since 2015, has struggled for form this year, winning just nine matches overall and losing in the first round at the French Open and now Wimbledon.
“I felt a little bit bored out there,” he said.
“The last sort of year or two, nothing motivates. It’s not I don’t give my best. I still try to go for it in a way.”
Nine-time Wimbledon singles champion Martina Navratilova
“It’s disrespectful to the sport and disrespectful to the history of the sport. If you can’t get motivated at Wimbledon it’s time to find another job. The spectators paid good money to come here and watch Wimbledon and the guy shows up and doesn’t try, he can’t be bothered. Just stay at home.
Australian two-time Wimbledon doubles champion Rennae Stubbs
To say the things that he said in the press conference today is a disgrace.
You’re an embarrassment to yourself, and not only to the sport but to Australian tennis.
Tomic was criticised for ruling himself out of the Rio 2016 Olympics because of an “extremely busy” schedule, a year after he was dropped by Tennis Australia – for a second time – from their Davis Cup squad.
He was left out in 2015 after accusing the governing body of abandoning him following hip surgery in 2014, but has since returned to the team.
Further questions were raised about his attitude when he held his racquet by the strings when facing match point in a Madrid Open match last year.
Tomic’s career has also been affected by off-court controversy.
In July 2015, he was charged with resisting arrest and trespassing by police in the United States after refusing to leave a hotel room.
His father John was sentenced to eight months in prison for assaulting his son’s training partner before the 2013 Madrid Open.
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Watch some of the best shots as Britain’s Katie Boulter loses to Christina McHale of the United States in the first round at Wimbledon.