Novak Djokovic enjoyed a triumphant return to Wimbledon, where the 24-time major champion says he "would not have risked" his knee injury anywhere else.

The 37-year-old eased past Vit Kopriva 6-1 6-2 6-2 under the roof on Centre Court in Tuesday's first-round clash.

That victory comes less than a month on from the Serb requiring surgery for a knee issue after withdrawing midway through the French Open.

Djokovic, aiming to equal Roger Federer's record eight titles at the All England Club, suggested he would not have played through the pain at any other tournament on the ATP circuit.

"Everything that I could do, I have done over the last three weeks along with my team to be able to play here for you today," Djokovic said during his on-court interview. 

"I think if it was for any other tournament I probably would not have risked it, would not have rushed as much but I just love Wimbledon, love coming back here."

Djokovic battled throughout with protective support on his right leg, though that appeared no issue in a dominant triumph against the Czech qualifier.

His reward will be a second-round clash against British wildcard Jacob Fearnley or Spanish qualifier Alejandro Moro Canas.

It will be Djokovic's 19th appearance in the second round at Wimbledon, equalling Federer for the most such outings in the men's singles draw at this event during the Open Era.

The message from the seven-time Wimbledon champion was clear heading into the next clash, with his focus on performance, rather than his troublesome injury.

"I tried to really focus on the game and not think about the knee too much," Djokovic added.

Novak Djokovic made a smooth return to the court after knee surgery, cruising past Vit Kopriva in straight sets to reach the second round of Wimbledon.

The world number two, wearing a knee support, looked to be moving comfortably as he saw off Kopriva 6-1 6-2 6-2 on Centre Court in just under two hours.

Djokovic got his first real test just four games in but fought to get an all-important break at the sixth attempt before winning the next three games to take the first set.

Kopriva had no answers to Djokovic's aggressive serves, and giving up two more breaks on his own, failed to mount any real challenge during the second.

It was the same story in the third set, as the seven-time champion won the last four games in a row to set up a meeting with Jacob Fearnley or Alejandro Moro Canas in the next round.

Data Debrief: Djokovic makes perfect return

Djokovic was forced to withdraw from his last grand slam match, with his knee injury stopping him from competing in the quarter-final at Roland Garros last month.

With his Wimbledon participation thrown into doubt when he had surgery, he will be pleased with the dominant nature of the win.

The Serb dropped just five games over the three sets, none of which were on his own serve.

Djokovic will be appearing in the second round at Wimbledon for the 19th time in his career. He equals Roger Federer for the most second-round appearances in the men's singles draw at this event during the Open Era.

Defending champion Marketa Vondrousova crashed out of Wimbledon in the first round after Jessica Bouzas Maneiro pulled off a stunning upset.

Vondrousova was opening Tuesday's play on Centre Court against an opponent who came into the contest having never won a match at a major and with just one career win to her name at senior WTA Tour level.

But Bouzas Maneiro wrapped up a 6-4 6-2 win in just 67 minutes as the sixth seed fell at the first hurdle.

Last year Vondrousova became the only unseeded player to win the women's singles at Wimbledon in the Open Era and, at 42 in the world, was lowest-ranked winner of the title in the past four decades. 

But having struggled with a hip injury leading up to Wimbledon, her preparations for the 2024 tournament had been hampered and she struggled throughout, with Bouzas Maneiro celebrating the win of her life.

There was a much better opening round of the competition for the fourth and fifth seeds, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula.

Rybakina got up and running with a comfortable 6-3 6-1 victory over Elena-Gabriela Ruse on Court One.

The Wimbledon champion of 2022 has never lost in the first three rounds at the All England club and while she was broken in the opening game of the match, her impressive run in the early stages of the tournament never looked in danger once she had fought back to win the opening set.

Rybakina won 22 of her 24 points on first serve in the match and will face Germany's Laura Siegemund in round two.

Pegula also made a strong start, cruising past her fellow American Ashlyn Krueger.

It only took Pegula, who recently won the Berlin Ladies Open, 49 minutes to triumph 6-2 6-0 on No.2 Court. 

Pegula did not concede a single break-point opportunity in a dominant performance.

Data Debrief: Vondrousova makes unwanted history

Vondrousova is the first Wimbledon champion to crash out in the first round of the subsequent year's tournament for 30 years.

The last player to suffer that fate was seven-time Wimbledon champion Steffi Graf, who fell at the first hurdle in 1994.

Graf went on to win Wimbledon on two more occasions in 1995 and 1996, so Vondrouosva will hope she can also bounce back after a chastening afternoon.

She ended the match with 28 unforced errors and committed seven double faults, with Bouzas Maneiro a worthy winner after winning 61 total points to Vondrousova's 43.

Andy Murray should be considered at the same level of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer as he approaches the end of his career, says Mark Philippoussis.

On Tuesday, Murray confirmed he had withdrawn from what was expected to be his final singles outing at Wimbledon after failing to fully recover from back surgery.

He will play doubles alongside brother Jamie but will now be denied a singles send-off at the tournament he won in 2013 and 2016, making him the only British man to lift the trophy in the Open Era.

While Murray's three grand slam titles put him some way adrift of Djokovic (24), Nadal (22) and Federer (20), 2003 Wimbledon runner-up Philippoussis feels being a multiple major champion in their era makes Murray one of the greats.

"Andy Murray is a great person first of all, I have known him since we were a very young age, I know the family too," Philippoussis told Stats Perform.

"He has an amazing career and people say the top three; they say, Djokovic, Nadal and Federer but I always have him in the top four because I think he was the one who pushed those guys to the limits.

"He's had an amazing career. I wish him luck in his life, in his family life, and his next chapter in the future.

Philippoussis hopes when Murray hangs up his racket, he will stay in the game in some capacity, adding: "What he's brought to the table has been incredible. 

"At the time when you had literally three guys dominating, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. For him to be a multiple grand slam champion, number one in the world and a gold medallist and Davis Cup champion, he's done it all. 

"He might not have the grand slam numbers like the other guys, but he'll definitely go down as one of the greatest. 

"To have done all that when they were dominating the sport is incredibly impressive. It will be sad to see him not at Wimbledon and I hope we'll get a chance to see him one more time.

"I'm proud and it's inspiring to see him still around because he loves the game. Hopefully, he can stay around because he loves the game."

The last few years have seen Murray hampered by injuries, with the Scot undergoing two hip surgeries in 2018 and 2019.

Alexander Bublik, who has won two of five head-to-head meetings with Murray, says watching him frustrated in his bid to recapture past glories has been sad.

"I honestly don't know what to say because he's been struggling and it's painful to see but he enjoys the struggle. The guy is killing himself and he's in pain," he said. 

"It's tough to see because he's been number one in the world, he won three slams, so it's tough for any young player who saw him win big titles, to see him like this."

Andy Murray has withdrawn from the men's singles event at Wimbledon.

It means the two-time champion and former world number one will be unable to take part in what was set to be a farewell singles appearance at the All England Club.

However, he will still take to the courts, but instead in the doubles, as he plans to play alongside his brother Jamie.

Murray has been struggling with a back problem and has failed to recover from minor surgery in time to feature in the singles draw.

The 37-year-old had been set to face Tomas Machac on Centre Court on Tuesday.

However, his team confirmed in a statement that Murray, who is planning to retire this year, would not play.

"Unfortunately, despite working incredibly hard on his recovery since his operation just over a week ago, Andy has taken the very difficult decision not to play the singles this year," a statement read.

"As you can imagine, he is extremely disappointed but has confirmed that he will be playing in the doubles with Jamie and looks forward to competing at Wimbledon for the last time."

Winning the tournament in 2013 and 2016, Murray (2012-13, 2016) is the only British player to reach the final at Wimbledon in the Open Era.

The Scot has played 74 matches at Wimbledon; it is the fifth-most matches played in the men's singles draw at this tournament during the Open Era.

His 61 wins, meanwhile, are the sixth-most of any man after Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Jimmy Connors, Becker and Pete Sampras.

Andy Murray has withdrawn from the men's singles event at Wimbledon.

It means the two-time champion and former world number one will be unable to take part in what was set to be a farewell singles appearance at the All England Club.

However, he will still take to the courts, but instead in the doubles, as he plans to play alongside his brother Jamie.

Murray has been struggling with a back problem and has failed to recover from minor surgery in time to feature in the singles draw.

The 37-year-old had been set to face Tomas Machac on Centre Court on Tuesday.

However, his team confirmed in a statement that Murray, who is planning to retire this year, would not play.

"Unfortunately, despite working incredibly hard on his recovery since his operation just over a week ago, Andy has taken the very difficult decision not to play the singles this year," a statement read.

"As you can imagine, he is extremely disappointed but has confirmed that he will be playing in the doubles with Jamie and looks forward to competing at Wimbledon for the last time."

Winning the tournament in 2013 and 2016, Murray (2012-13, 2016) is the only British player to reach the final at Wimbledon in the Open Era.

The Scot has played 74 matches at Wimbledon; it is the fifth-most matches played in the men's singles draw at this tournament during the Open Era.

His 61 wins, meanwhile, are the sixth-most of any man after Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Jimmy Connors, Becker and Pete Sampras.

Emma Raducanu used England's comeback win over Slovakia at Euro 2024 as motivation ahead of her Wimbledon opener.

Raducanu was handed a boost on Monday when her planned first-round opponent - world number 22 Ekaterina Alexandrova - withdrew due to illness.

But the 2021 US Open champion did not put in the most convincing display as she beat lucky loser Renata Zarazua 7-6 (7-0) 6-3 on Centre Court.

Nevertheless, Raducanu got the job done, much like Gareth Southgate's side as Jude Bellingham's stunner and Harry Kane's header secured an extra-time win over Slovakia in Germany, despite another poor display.

Raducanu, however, believes England's progress to the quarter-finals at Euro 2024 shows that "winning ugly" is sometimes the way forward.

"I was nervous, I think everyone could see that in my tennis, but at the end of the day you have to do whatever it takes to get over the line," said Raducanu, who wore an England shirt to practice on Sunday.

"Honestly, watching the football [on Sunday], it was winning ugly – it all counts."

Raducanu suggested the late switch of opponent did not help.

"For the past three days, I've been playing and setting up practice for similar opponents and then it is a change of plan," said Raducanu.

"It took a little bit of adjusting and finding my feet.

"But I’d like to thank everyone for their support in the crucial moments. I enjoyed playing back here."

Raducanu will face Elise Mertens in the next round, and is delighted to have progressed as she aims to build on a solid grass-court swing so far.

"I said I'd be over the moon if I won my first round here, and I really am," the 21-yea

"I feel the joy of being on site, the joy to be part of the buzz. I'm really just enjoying myself."

Coco Gauff cruised through to the second round at Wimbledon following a dominant straight-sets victory over compatriot Caroline Dolehide.

The second seed dropped just three games as she prevailed 6-1 6-2 after just 65 minutes on Centre Court.

Gauff was desperate to avert a second successive first-round defeat at SW19, where she was ousted by 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in round one a year ago.

However, the 20-year-old responded superbly to that setback, winning 57 of her following 70 matches, while claiming her maiden major silverware at the US Open.

Gauff had reached the semi-finals at her last three events, including the French Open, and built on that momentum with a commanding display against the world number 51.

At one point, she reeled off eight successive games on the way to setting up a second-round clash with Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni.

Data Debrief: Gauff matches Williams with statement win

There was no stopping Gauff in the final match of day one on Centre Court.

The world number two won 86% of her first-serve point, double-faulting just once, while she won nine out of 10 net points, and converted six of her 10 break point opportunities.

Now having won each of her first 17 matches in successive seasons against players ranked outside the WTA's top 50, she is the first player aged 21 or under to achieve the feat since Serena Williams in 2001 and 2002.

Jannik Sinner made a winning start to his quest for Wimbledon glory, seeing off Yannick Hanfmann 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-3 on No.1 Court.

The new world number one is the first Italian to be the top seed in the men's singles event at SW19, and is fresh from landing his maiden ATP title on grass in Halle last time out.

Two break points were enough to put Sinner two sets to the good against Hanfmann, who was seeking his first victory in three main-draw appearances at Wimbledon.

The German responded in the third set to halve the deficit, but his opponent was not to be denied as he sealed the win in just under three hours.

Up next for Sinner is a mouth-watering all-Italian second-round clash against former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini, who won 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 3-6 6-1 against Marton Fucsovics to progress.

Earlier in the day on the same court as Sinner, fifth seed Daniil Medvedev moved safely into the second round.

Despite some difficult preparation for the tournament, Medvedev defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3 6-4 6-2 in just one hour and 47 minutes, firing down 16 aces and not being broken throughout the contest.

Data Debrief: Sinner picks up the baton

Sinner hit 16 aces and 47 winners to 30 unforced errors, while converting four out of five break points as he saw off world number 110 Hanfmann.

In his first major outing since officially becoming world number one, he extended the Wimbledon winning streak of players atop of the ATP rankings to 22 matches.

The last such defeat came exactly 2,178 days ago, when Rafael Nadal was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the 2018 semi-finals.

Earlier on, Medvedev overcame Kovacevic to claim his 230th ATP match win since the start of the 2020 season - the most of any player during this decade, and six clear of nearest challenger Andrey Rublev (224).

Emma Raducanu delighted the home crowd at Wimbledon by defeating Renata Zarazua in straight sets on Monday.

The Briton had been scheduled to face 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in round one until the Russian withdrew from the tournament through injury.

Raducanu was still given a stern examination by Alexandrova's replacement, lucky loser Zarazua, on Centre Court, but she prevailed 7-6 (7-0) 6-3.

The home favourite led 4-2 in the opening set but was promptly broken back and had to deliver when it mattered to win a tie-break that ultimately proved to be one-sided.

Raducanu saved two break points early in the second set and then got the crucial break in game six before closing out the victory with relative comfort.

Up next for Raducanu is a clash with Elise Mertens, who won a three-set battle against Nao Hibino.

Data Debrief: Raducanu ups her game

It was a mixed performance from Raducanu in the opening set, but the 21-year-old upped her game in the second to make sure of victory.

Raducanu won 17 of her 20 points on first serve in the second set and, after saving those break points in the third game, did not offer up a single break opportunity to Zarazua from that stage onwards.

Naomi Osaka made a winning return to Wimbledon after holding off Diane Parry to win a tense deciding set.

Osaka had not played at Wimbledon since 2019 until Monday's contest and last won a match at the All England Club in 2018.

But the Japanese star, playing in the tournament as a wild card, battled to a round-one victory over Parry, winning 6-1 1-6 6-4 in a topsy-turvy encounter on No.2 Court.

Osaka looked in trouble after following up an emphatic first set with a poor second that saw Parry seize control.

Four-time major winner Osaka then lost her first two service games of the decider and trailed 3-1, but battled back to win five of the last six games and claim victory.

Data Debrief: Opportunity knocks for Osaka

On a dramatic day in the women’s singles which saw seeds Aryna Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka and Ekaterina Alexandrova all withdraw from the tournament, Osaka is a big name who will be in round two.

While a meeting with either Wang Qiang or Emma Navarro is unlikely to be straightforward, Osaka will have her sights on not only reaching the second week, which she has never done before, but also making an impact if she gets there.

There was plenty to like about her aggressive approach against Parry, and she racked up 34 winners, but Osaka also has plenty to work on. She lacked fluency with her serving, as only 35 of 75 first serves (47%) landed in, often leaving her on the back foot.

Still, winning a deciding set in her first grand slam match since the painful defeat to Iga Swiatek at the French Open will have come as a huge relief, with that Paris disappointment still fresh in the memory.

Carlos Alcaraz has made a winning start to his Wimbledon title defence, defeating qualifier Mark Lajal in a competitive contest.

Opening the 2024 tournament on Centre Court, the Spaniard was broken early in each of the first two sets, but ultimately progressed 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 6-2.

Alcaraz was more dominant in the third set, not offering up a single break-point opportunity to Estonian qualifier Lajal, who can nonetheless reflect on a decent showing on the big stage.

French Open champion Alcaraz, looking to become the youngest player in the Open Era to win Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in the same year, will play Aleksandar Vukic or Sebastian Ofner in round two.

Elsewhere on Monday, eighth seed Casper Ruud and 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov both made comfortable starts to the tournament with straight-sets wins over Alex Bolt and Dusan Lajovic respectively.

Denis Shapovalov is also through, with the Canadian knocking out 19th seed Nicolas Jarry in a 6-1 7-5 6-4 triumph.

Frances Tiafoe almost joined Jarry as a seed to crash out on day one, but the American fought back from two sets down to defeat Matteo Arnaldi in five. That dramatic win saw him tee up a round-two clash with Borna Coric.

There was more American success when Brandon Nakashima earned a straight-sets victory over 18th seed Sebastian Baez. He won 6-2 6-3 6-4 and will face Australian Jordan Thompson next.

Data Debrief: Alcaraz up and running

Alcaraz did not have ideal preparation for Wimbledon after losing to Jack Draper in the last 16 at Queen's.

He will therefore be pleased to have got two hours and 23 minutes of competitive court time under his belt against Lajal without his progress ever really looking like it was in jeopardy.

Alcaraz fired 44 winners and lost just nine of the 56 points played on his first serve. He was also adept at the net, winning 26 of his 33 points to make it a smooth start.

He is now just the seventh player in the Open Era, and the first since compatriot Rafael Nadal, to win all of his first 14 first-round matches in grand slam tournaments.

Aryna Sabalenka has withdrawn from Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury ahead of the first round.

The world number three was due to play Emina Bektas on Monday, but left the practice court early, with the All England Club organisers confirming she would not be participating.

She will now be replaced by Erika Andreeva, who lost to Sonay Kartal in the final round of qualifying.

Sabalenka retired from her Berlin quarter-final in June with the same issue, the first time she has ever done so in a professional match in her career, and later stated she was not "100% fit" or able to serve without pain.

The Belarusian is a two-time Grand Slam winner but has never won at Wimbledon, falling at the semi-final hurdle in both 2021 and 2023.

Sabalenka was looking to put a disappointing clay swing behind her, after suffering final defeats in Madrid and Rome before being knocked out in the quarter-final at the French Open.

Emma Raducanu has been handed an early boost ahead of her first match at Wimbledon after the withdrawal of Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Raducanu, who won the US Open in 2021 but is now ranked outside of the top 100, had been due to face world number 22 Alexandrova on Centre Court on Monday.

However, Alexandrova has withdrawn due to illness, meaning Raducanu will face lucky loser Renata Zarazua instead.

Mexico's Zarazua lost to Mccartney Kessler in qualifying last week, but now has another shot.

But Raducanu will be the big favourite as she aims to build on a solid grass-court swing.

The 21-year-old reached the semi-finals at the Nottingham Open, going down to eventual champion Katie Boulter, before claiming her first top-10 win when she beat Jessica Pegula at Eastbourne.

Raducanu will face Zarazua in the second match of the day on the All England Club's main court, after reigning men's champion Carlos Alcaraz takes on Mark Lajal.

Should Raducanu win, she will face either Elise Mertens or Nao Hibino in round two.

Andy Murray says he wants "a bit of closure" at Wimbledon as he continues a fight to be fit in time for his opening match.

The Brit is due to retire later this year but has previously said either Wimbledon or the Olympics would be a fitting stage to end his career.

However, Murray was forced to retire injured during the Queen's Club Championships in the second round due to a back injury earlier this month, for which he later underwent surgery.

Murray's Wimbledon campaign is due to start on Tuesday against Tomas Machac, but he is still yet to decide whether he will actually be competing in the men's singles event at the All England Club.

"I don't think there's one thing that I'm hoping for. When it comes to the end, I don't know, maybe a bit of closure," the two-time Wimbledon winner, Murray, said.

"I just want the opportunity to play one more time out there, hopefully on Centre Court, and feel that buzz.

"Last year, I wasn't planning on it being my last year on the tour. I wanted to come back and play again, whereas this year I have no plans to do that."

Murray is also due to play in the doubles alongside older brother Jamie, though his chances of competing in both are slim.

He managed to get on the Wimbledon practice courts for the first time on Saturday and, after more training on Sunday, Murray admitted he would wait until the last possible moment to decide on his participation.

"It went pretty well," Murray said after training on Sunday, "but I still don’t have 100% feeling and sensation in my leg.

"It's getting better every single day. I want to give it every single chance that I can to get there.

"I'm going to play another set again [on Monday]. I'm doing some physical testing in the morning to see how far off I am from a physical perspective. Then I will probably make a decision after that."