Djokovic, Serena, Sharapova star on Wimbledon’s day one

Williams started slow on the grass on Court 1, trailing 3-1 before turning things around and advancing to the second round.

“I just think about doing the right things and techniques and practising and training”. The Wimbledon tennis championships begins on Monday.

“I don’t want to go there with my thoughts because the more I think about it, the closer I am to retirement”, he said.

The world’s no. 1 is on a quest to bring her grand slam victories to four consecutive years at the Wimbledon, and bring her final tally to 21.

“Before Roland Garros, I’ve lost only two”.

Serena could have had extra preparation at one of the Wimbledon warm-up events but she and sister Venus have been honing their grass game with the help of golf legend Jack Nicklaus, who has three courts at his plush home near her base in Florida.

“It’s not of my concern, honestly”. Because of the vagaries of playing outdoors without lights, Wimbledon doesn’t set match times and courts after Day 1 until a day’s play is complete.

Sixteen grand slam champions started out in the men’s and women’s singles, with several of them joining Djokovic and Williams in the second round. The second-seeded Czech will play Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands in the first round.

She lost in the third and fourth rounds at the Australian and French Open respectively, and is looking to make a mence at her favorite Grand Slam. She has suffered three successive Grand Slam exits before the quarter-finals and made a decision to take a two-month break after losing her passion for the sport.

“When she’s playing against me she had nothing to lose and she did so good and she should be so proud. So this year I can still play my best tennis”.

Serena Williams of the US leaves following a practice session at Wimbledon on Sunday.

Kvitova beat Williams in the semifinals at the Madrid Open last month.

“I’m feeling great for sure”. Kvitova has shown she is able to raise her game, especially on the grass. “I knew what I have to play”.

“I don’t know yet what I am going to do with my (French Open) shorts”. The likes of Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova, Samantha Stosur, who have tasted Grand Slam success in the past, are in Serena’s half this Wimbledon. The defeat to Wawrinka was the third time in the last four years he had lost the Paris final.

With the French Open at least pushed to the back of his mind for now, Djokovic is keen to revive his previously-dominant 2015 campaign in London.

Grass, however, hasn’t been the Swiss player’s best surface. “Whereas previous year, it was all about getting back”. The two-time and defending Wimbledon champion is a hard hitter and can match the power of Williams. I feel I could really aim for Wimbledon this year. “It’s important to be ready, to feel good physically, to move well”.

His only loss in a final at the All England Club until past year had come at the hands of Spain’s Rafael Nadal in 2008, a meeting that many consider the greatest tennis match ever played.

But he’ll have a tough opening match against Philipp Kohlschreiber, a 31-year-old German who has beaten Djokovic once in seven matches. More than physical rest, I needed that emotional, mental rest to recharge my batteries and get myself in a proper state of mind so I can start all over again.