Wimbledon 2025: Defending champion Krejcikova fights through pain to advance, Sinner breezes through

Defending titleholder Barbora Krejcikova fought back from one set down to secure her Wimbledon first-round win on Tuesday (July 1) while top-seeded men's seed Jannik Sinner hardly broke a sweat in the sweltering London heat. At the time of writing, seven-time champion Novak Djokovic was set to start his quest for his record 25th Grand Slam title on the second day of competition at the All England Club.

Krejcikova came at Wimbledon with only six matches played this season and was in dire trouble after being overpowered by Philippines ace Alexandra Eala in the opening set. However, the Czech rallied, reduced the number of errors significantly and lost only three additional games as she concluded a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 win. Two-time Grand Slam champion Krejcikova has endured a difficult time since defeating Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the final last year.

The 29-year-old was out of action this season until May after suffering a back injury and lost in the second round of the 2025 French Open.

Krejcikova pulled out of last week's Eastbourne Open before the quarter-finals with a thigh problem.

"I was in a great deal of pain in my back and I really didn't know how my career would work out," she was quoted saying. "I'm really happy and really excited that I can be here and that I can play on such an excellent court.". "I was so, so excited for this day and prior to the match I was really ticking down every minute till the time the match is approaching."

World number one Sinner swept aside fellow Italian Luca Nardi on Court One with minimal fuss. Completely unfazed by the sizzling heat, three-time Grand Slam champion clinched a 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 victory in one hour and 48 minutes. "I'm really glad to return here to such a unique venue for me," he said. "Playing an Italian is really unfortunate but one has to pass through and fortunately it was me."

Sinner took three of the last six majors but the 23-year-old let slip a two-sets lead and squandered three match points over Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final last month.

Djokovic's record bid

Djokovic begins his Wimbledon campaign against France's Alexandre Muller, the 41st-ranked man in the world. The sixth-seeded Serb, who has appeared in all six Wimbledon finals since 2018, has faced Muller once, losing just five games on his way to the 2023 US Open title.

Djokovic has been level with long-retired Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slam singles titles since 2023 but feels his best chance of a record-breaking 25th comes at the All England Club. “I would most likely accept that Wimbledon can be the best opportunity due to the outcome I had, due to the way I feel, the way I play in Wimbledon, just having that little bit of extra push mentally and motivation to play the best tennis at the top.”

The veteran, who has lost the past two Wimbledon finals to Alcaraz, has the added incentive of pulling level with the retired Roger Federer, who won a record eight men's titles at the All England Club.

In early action on Tuesday, US third seed Jessica Pegula suffered a shock defeat against Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto, losing 6-2, 6-3 in just 58 minutes. Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen confessed she was not concentrating after she lost to world number 81 Katerina Siniakova 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.

"I made a lot of errors," she said. "I made the match complicated. The weather was extremely hot but I think I should have concentrated more on the court. Perhaps I should train more to be concentrating in the heat."

Five major champion Iga Swiatek brushed aside Russia's Polina Kudermetova 7-5, 6-1 and second seed Coco Gauff, who had recently celebrated French Open victory, ready to face Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska. Men's fifth seed Taylor Fritz finished a five-set battle against France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard after losing the first two sets on tie-breaks.