Seven-time champion Roger Federer, 2008 and 2010 winner Rafael Nadal and 2013 king Andy Murray raced into the Wimbledon second round here as the tournament sweltered in near record-breaking heat
Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal
London: Seven-time champion Roger Federer, 2008 and 2010 winner Rafael Nadal and 2013 king Andy Murray raced into the Wimbledon second round her yesterday as the tournament sweltered in near record-breaking heat.
Switzerland's Roger Federer return against Bosnia-Herzegovina's Damir Dzumhur during their men's singles first round match at Wimbledon yesterday. Pic/AFP
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Second seeded Federer, bidding to become the first man to win eight Wimbledon titles and take his majors tally to 18, enjoyed a 67-minute 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 win over Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia, the World No 88 he beat at the French Open this year. Federer will face Sam Querrey of the United States for a place in the last 32.
"I was happy I played aggressive. I was always going to miss playing that way a little bit but also he hung around," said the 33-year-old Swiss. "He changed up his game a little bit which made it a little bit more difficult so it was interesting for me. But I'm very happy, always, to win like that."
Nadal, defeated in the second, first and fourth rounds in the last three years, reached the second round with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win over Thomaz Bellucci, his fifth win in five meetings against the 42nd-ranked Brazilian. Tenth-seeded Nadal, his lowest ranking for a decade, faces Germany's Dustin Brown for a place in the last 32.
Nadal welcomes sun
Nadal, who lives in sun-kissed Mallorca, said he would be happy to see the sun keep shining. "In Australia it can be much, much worse so it's no comparison but actually it's beautiful," said the Spaniard.
Spain's Rafael Nadal returns to Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci at the Wimbledon Championships in London yesterday. INSET: Andy Murray. Pic/AFP
Murray defied sweltering temperatures to kick off his bid for a second Wimbledon title with a comfortable 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 victory over Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin. Murray avoided being dragged into a draining battle in the Centre Court sunshine, winning in two hours and 12 minutes to book a second round meeting with Robin Haase or Alejandro Falla.
Coached by better half
Like Murray, Kukushkin is coached by a woman — his wife Anastasia. Murray beat his rival twice in 2012 at Brisbane and then at the Australian Open in the fourth round. That remains Kukushkin's best run at a major although he did reach the third round at Wimbledon in 2014 where he lost to Nadal.
French 13th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was probably wishing for a few clouds after he spent more than four hours to see off Luxemburg's Gilles Muller 7-6 (10/8), 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
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