Marketa Vondrousova made history as the first defending Wimbledon women's champion to exit in the first round in 30 years, losing to Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Tuesday. The Czech sixth seed suffered a 6-4, 6-2 defeat, ending her reign quietly. There was also significant disappointment for two-time champion Andy Murray, who was unable to play his final match on Centre Court due to recurring injuries. The 37-year-old withdrew from the singles on the second day of the Championships after surgery to remove a spinal cyst, but might still participate in the doubles with his brother Jamie later this week.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic showed no signs of his knee issues as he started his pursuit for a record 25th Grand Slam title. The Serbian, who had surgery after withdrawing from the French Open, looked sharp in his victory over Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva, winning 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. Djokovic acknowledged the difference between practice and official matches on Centre Court, expressing satisfaction with his performance despite the uncertainty about his knee.
Light rain interrupted play intermittently, but did not affect top seed Iga Swiatek, who successfully navigated a challenging first-round match against American Sofia Kenin under the Court One roof. Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion, won 6-3, 6-4. Vondrousova, who won the women's title last year as an unseeded player, faced an unfortunate end against Bouzas Maneiro, who seized her first Grand Slam victory at the perfect moment. Vondrousova, dealing with a hip injury, admitted to being nervous from the start and unable to overcome it.
In other matches, Russian Andrey Rublev, the world number six, was the highest men's seed to be eliminated, losing to Francisco Comesana of Argentina in his Grand Slam debut. French Open runner-up Alexander Zverev easily defeated Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena, and Polish seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz comfortably beat qualifier Radu Albot. Elena Rybakina, the 2022 women's champion, started strongly by defeating qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse, and American fifth seed Jessica Pegula also secured a win, dropping only two games against Ashlyn Krueger.
