Djokovic on Centre Court first at Wimbledon

The 25-year-old, who barely qualifies for the rank of journeyman as the World No 772, saw off Ricardas Berankis in straight sets on Monday to send Court 17 into delirium. Afterward, Willis raced to the stands to kiss his girlfriend before being swallowed by a group hug from a bunch of longtime friends.

Willis hit 43 winners and saved 19 of 20 break points in a stunning display against Berankis.

Willis won three matches in a special British Lawn Tennis Association event just to earn a wild card into qualifying for Wimbledon. Merely qualifying for the main draw is the stuff of fairy tales. He has more match-wins on grass and at Wimbledon than anyone in the Open era. Brydan Klein lost to Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 7-6 6-4 6-4 and Alexander Ward lost to Belgium’s David Goffin 6-2 6-3 6-2. Federer had two break points in the eighth game but in the end, it went to a tie-break, where he ran out to a 6-2 lead, only to be pegged back to 6-5.

The players stayed on serve the rest of the way, with Muguruza serving out the match at love.

“One of the best stories in a long time in our sport”, said Federer, who beat Guido Pella 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), 6-3 in his return to Grand Slam tennis after missing the French Open with a bad back. Kevin Anderson, a South African seeded 20th, lost later in five sets to Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in a match that lasted more than 3½ hours.

There could hardly be a greater contrast between Federer, arguably the greatest player in history, and the coach from Warwick Boat Club he will be taking on in his next match. Sam Querrey, an American seeded No. 28, overcame Lukas Rosol in a marathon match that went to 12-10 in the fifth set.

Querrey hasn’t been as far as the third round at the All England Club since 2012.

The 23rd-seeded Ivanovic blamed an injured right wrist, and said she won’t play between now and the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic got halfway to the second “triple bagel” – 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 – in Wimbledon history before dropping a game, then wasn’t quite as flawless the rest of the way in a first-round victory.

Five-time women’s champion Venus Williams also had a stiff test, overcoming Donna Vekic of Croatia 7-6 (3), 6-4 on Court 1.

“Marcus has had an wonderful journey to reach his first Wimbledon”, said Smith, who has coached him for two-and-a-half years.

When Ward finally won a game, hitting a service victor to make it 3-1 in the second set, the Briton threw up his arm in mock triumph and basked in a loud ovation from the home crowd.

Germany’s Sabine Lisicki, a finalist in 2013, blasted nine aces – including three in a 52-second opening game – to beat Poland’s Magda Linette. It got him his debut appearance at Wimbledon-plus headlines and now a huge following. For of all the 256 players in the main draws at SW19, he is the most unlikely.

Play on Centre Court and Court 1 was due to start at 1 p.m.

At 29, the Serb is in his prime after becoming only the third man to hold all four grand slams at once, a feat he achieved by grinding his way to the French Open title three weeks ago.

The 25-year-old Brit, who still lives at home in Slough with his parents (and needs to pay off credit-card debts), is now ranked 772nd in the world.

There will be added scrutiny of world number two Murray as he embarks on his first Grand Slam since reuniting with coach Ivan Lendl, who formed part of his camp when he won his two majors. But there was another reward ahead: a chance to play seven-time champion Roger Federer.