London: Novak Djokovic started his bid to capture a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon men’s title with a straight-sets win over Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva on Tuesday in his first match since undergoing knee surgery.
Djokovic eased to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory in a shade under two hours on Centre Court against his 123rd-ranked rival.
The 37-year-old Serb did not face a break point in the entire match, which he sealed with three aces.
Djokovic, chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, wore a grey support on his right knee after undergoing surgery on a torn meniscus, which had forced him to withdraw from the French Open after the fourth round last month.
“It was very good. I was very pleased with the way I moved on the court today,” said Djokovic after taking his career Wimbledon first-round record to 19-0.
“Obviously coming into Wimbledon this year, it was a little bit of a different circumstance for me because of the knee.
“I didn’t know how everything was going to unfold on the court really. Practice sessions are quite different to official match play, so I’m just extremely glad about the way I played and the way I felt today.”
Djokovic will face British wildcard Jacob Fearnley or Spanish qualifier Alejandro Moro Canas for a place in the last 32.
Comfortable win
World No 1 Iga Swiatek stretched her winning streak to 20 matches on Tuesday with a comfortable straight-sets victory over Sofia Kenin to reach the Wimbledon second round.
Swiatek, fresh from a fourth French Open title, came through 6-3, 6-4 against her 49th-ranked American opponent, a former Australian Open champion.
The top-seeded Pole, chasing a sixth Grand Slam title, has yet to get beyond the quarter-finals at the All England Club.
She will face either British wild card Francesca Jones or Petra Martic of Croatia for a place in the last 32.
Rublev crashes out
Andrey Rublev crashed out of Wimbledon at the first hurdle on Tuesday, going down in four sets to Argentina's Francisco Comesana.
The Russian sixth seed battled back after losing the first set but lost momentum early in the third and went down to a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) defeat.
Rublev, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, struggled for consistency on his serve and was broken four times in the match by his opponent, ranked 122nd in the world.
The 26-year-old, who smashed his racquet repeatedly against his knee in frustration in the third set, is the highest-seeded men's player to exit the Championships so far.
Comesana will face Australia's Adam Walton for a place in the last 32.
