England

Marketa Vondrousova on Tuesday became the first defending women's Wimbledon champion to lose in the first round for 30 years as Andy Murray ran out of time in his fitness race.

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Czech sixth seed Vondrousova went down 6-4, 6-2 to Spain's unheralded Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in 66 minutes.

Also Read: Euro 2024: Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo confirms it's 'his last' tournament

Vondrousova is only the second defending champion to lose in the first round at the All England Club in the Open Era.

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The only other time it has happened was 30 years ago, when Lori McNeil defeated three-time defending champion Steffi Graf in the 1994 opening round.

World number 83 Bouzas Maneiro, playing in only the third Grand Slam main draw of her career, broke her opponent five times in the match under the roof on Centre Court.

Until Tuesday, she had never defeated a top-40 player, while her only other grass-court match this year was a first-round loss in a low-key event in Italy.

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Vondrousova, who said she was wary in her first match since she hurt her hip at last month's Berlin grass-court tournament, struggled to impose her serve and made 28 unforced errors.

"Practice was fine and everything," said the Czech. "Today I was a bit scared because of my leg too. But I don't think that was the reason. I felt nervous from the start."

She added: "It's tough to go out defending the title." 

It was a different story for 2022 champion Elena Rybakina, who cantered past Romania's Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-1, turning the game on its head with a run of nine straight games.

Women's fifth seed Jessica Pegula raced through her match against US compatriot Ashlyn Krueger in 49 minutes, losing just two games.

Djokovic win on comeback

Novak Djokovic started his bid to capture a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon men's title with a straight-sets win over Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva on Tuesday in his first match since undergoing knee surgery.

Djokovic eased to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory in a shade under two hours on Centre Court against his 123rd-ranked rival.

The 37-year-old Serb did not face a break point in the entire match, which he sealed with three aces.

Djokovic, chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, wore a grey support on his right knee after undergoing surgery on a torn meniscus, which had forced him to withdraw from the French Open after the fourth round last month.

"It was very good. I was very pleased with the way I moved on the court today," said Djokovic after taking his career Wimbledon first-round record to 19-0.

"Obviously coming into Wimbledon this year, it was a little bit of a different circumstance for me because of the knee. 

"I didn't know how everything was going to unfold on the court really. Practice sessions are quite different to official match play, so I'm just extremely glad about the way I played and the way I felt today."

Djokovic will face British wildcard Jacob Fearnley or Spanish qualifier Alejandro Moro Canas for a place in the last 32.