Elena Rybakina's 'nervous' Roger Federer reveal after Wimbledon scare

Defending Wimbledon singles champion Elena Rybakina admitted the presence of tennis legend Roger Federer may have contributed to a shaky start in defence of her title at the All England Club. The Swiss great and record eight-time champion was the guest of honour in the Royal Box on Centre Court, as Rybakina was forced to come from a set down to beat American Shelby Rogers 4-6 6-1 6-2.

Federer had earlier received a standing from spectators and Princess Kate as he entered the royal box, with fans delighted to see the return of one the game's most popular and enduring personalities. Dressed in a sharp cream suit with his purple All England Club member's pin, Federer stood stood between his wife, Mirka, and the Princess in the special section above one of the baselines in the grand slam tournament's main stadium.

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Before the start of play at Centre Court, an announcer explained Federer was being honoured for "his contributions to tennis - and, particularly, to these very special lawns." Spectators were treated to a video montage of some of the Swiss star's most memorable moments, with heartwarming tributes from fellow players.

The ceremony included clips of Federer playing, winning and speaking at Wimbledon, where he won the first of his 20 career grand slam titles in 2003. That was the start of a run of five in a row that stretched through 2007, followed by additional championships there in 2009, 2012 and 2017.

Elena Rybakina 'nervous' to play in front of Roger Federer

It was perhaps no surprise that under that incredible atmosphere - and playing in front of someone she'd looked up to as kid - that the nerves initially got to Rybakina in her first round match. Indeed, the Kazakh's title defence began with a double fault but after dropping the first set her class shone through in an impressive win.

"Maybe that's why I was nervous because actually I really like Roger. When I was younger, I was always watching him play," Rybakina explained after the match about her scratchy start. "First matches, I think they're always tough I would say, like, mentally to get to the rhythm of the tournament. So hopefully the next match is going to be easier."

Rybakina's win saw her avoid becoming the first women's defending champion since Steffi Graf in 1994 to lose in the first round. Rybakina looked to have suffered from having almost no preparation on grass in the first set. However, she quickly regained her rhythm and the third seed will look to become only the second woman in the past 10 years to win back-to-back Wimbledon titles after Serena Williams in 2015 and 2016.

"Physically. I'm feeling good. Of course, maybe I'm missing a bit some things here and there because we didn't put enough hours or maybe the hours we wanted to do," she said. "But overall I feel good."

Big guns Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka through

Her victory was the only women's match completed in the first four-and-a-half hours of play on Tuesday as heavy rain just after midday stopped all action on the outside courts. Some 69 first round matches were rained off but last year's runner-up Ons Jabeur made a solid start to her campaign later in the day as she eased past unseeded Magdalena Frech 6-3 6-3.

The World No.6 has struggled to build momentum during an injury-hit season and her preparation for the grass court major was far from ideal. After narrowly missing the opportunity to break the 70th-ranked Frech early with two wayward drop shots though, Jabeur got her nose in front with some clean hitting in the fifth game and never looked back.

The 28-year-old, outclassed by Rybakina in the title clash last year, moved with ease and displayed a stunning range of strokes that included drops, lobs and scoops to overwhelm Frech. Aryna Sabalenka eliminated Panna Udvardy 6-3, 6-1 in her return after being banned from Wimbledon a year ago, along with other Belarusian and Russian players due to the war in Ukraine.

with agencies

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