Britain’s Andy Murray, Emma Raducanu and Cameron Norrie have all made it through to the second round at Wimbledon.
Two-time champion Murray, who has had recent injury problems, dropped the first set of his round one match against Australian James Duckworth before triumphing in four, winning on Centre Court 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4.
The former world number one, who preserved his record of never losing in the Wimbledon first round, appeared to be moving smoothly after being troubled by an abdominal injury that limited his grasscourt preparation.
After his win, the Scottish tennis star said: “It’s amazing to be back out here again with a full crowd after the last few years. It’s an amazing atmosphere.
“Obviously I’m getting on a bit now so I don’t know how many more opportunities I’ll get to play on this court so I want to make the most of every time I get to come out here. Hopefully I’ll get another match here in a couple of days.”
Raducanu also made a successful start to her Wimbledon campaign – a year after she burst onto the tennis scene at SW19.
The British women’s number one and reigning US Open champion successfully got past in-form Belgian, Alison Van Uytvanck, in straight sets in what was her Centre Court debut.
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The 19-year-old star, who had been in a race against time to be fit after suffering a side strain earlier this month, won her round one clash 6-4 6-4.
British men’s number one Cameron Norrie, seeded nine, defeated Spaniard Pablo Andujar in straight sets, 6-0, 7-6 (3), 6-3.
In her on-court interview, 10th seed Raducanu said: “I know Alison’s an extremely tricky opponent, she’s had great results on grass.
“I played her last summer and on grass where the balls stay so low it’s extremely tricky to neutralise such a great serve.
“I’m extremely pleased to have come through that match and looking forward to hopefully playing in front of you guys again.”
On the support she has received, the British teenager, who is ranked number 11 in the world, said: “I’ve been feeling it ever since I stepped on to the practice courts, people behind me going, ‘Emma you’ve got this’. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got this’.
“I’m just so happy to stay another day.”
Raducanu will next face Carolina Garcia, who beat Britain’s Yuriko Miyazaki 4-6 6-1 7-6 (10-4).
Also in the first round, Britain’s Jodie Burrage came to the aid of a ball boy who was taken ill during her defeat to Lesia Tsurenko.
The youngster looked unsteady on his feet early in the second set of her 6-2 6-3 loss and the 23-year-old attended to him, offering an energy gel from her bag and a drink.
The ball boy was later treated by paramedics and left in a wheelchair.
The loss saw Burrage, whose impressive form in the run-up to Wimbledon has seen her climb into the top 150, become the first Briton to lose at this year’s tournament.
As a wildcard in 2021, Raducanu reached the fourth round of the competition before retiring from the match due to breathing difficulties.
This year, Wimbledon has barred Russian and Belarusian players in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The move meant stars including men’s world number one Daniil Medvedev and women’s number five Aryna Sabalenka are out of the running.
