Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka is out of Wimbledon, beaten by a 1.94m unseeded Russian making his debut on the famous grass lawns in south west London.
The 32-year-old Wawrinka, seeded No 5, needed ice on a knee injury between points as he fell to a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 defeat to Daniil Medvedev.
On an eventful day, interrupted by rain showers, there were plenty of talking points.
Apart from Wawrinka’s departure, one of them was the impressive victory by Rafael Nadal, who began his bid for a third Wimbledon title with a comfortable win over John Millman.
Another was that from the seemingly troubled world No 20 Nick Kyrgios, who failed to reach round two, retiring from his opening match because of a hip injury.
But it was good news for South Africa’s Kevin Anderson, who overcame 35-year-old Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco in four sets, 2-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-3.
Anderson, who lost in the opening round in 2016, will be looking to beat his best result at the tournament.
The big-serving right-hander managed to get to the fourth round in both 2014 and 2015.
Medvedev’s victory over world No 3 Wawrinka came just hours after the 21-year-old moved into the world’s top 50 for the first time.
It was his first Grand Slam victory on his Wimbledon debut, and he celebrated by dropping to the court in front of the net and kissing the ground.
‘At 5-1, I started thinking about what to do after the match and I kissed the grass because it was my first Grand Slam win, even though people do it when they win Wimbledon,’ he said.
Britain’s Andy Murray began the defence of his Wimbledon title with a straight-set win over Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik on Centre Court.
The Scot won 6-1, 6-4, 6-2, despite a hip injury which disrupted his build-up.
Murray, the world No 1, hit 29 winners and maintained his form either side of a rain break in the third set to win in one hour and 44 minutes.
The 30-year-old will face Germany’s Dustin Brown – the man who beat Nadal in 2015 – in round two.
Photo: Davis Ranos/Getty Images
