A very warm welcome to you all as we usher in the 131st Championships, another edition which, according to no less a judge than the understated Roger Federer, should be “interesting”. We think we can pretty well guarantee that!
The tournament actually begins later this year than any for 121 years. Yes, the last Wimbledon to start in July was when Queen Victoria was on the throne in 1896. Which reminds us neatly, before we go any further, to hail the return of tennis royalty in the shape of Victoria Azarenka, who’s brought along baby Leo, last seen chomping on her accreditation tag, while she embarks on her quest to become the fifth mother to hoist the Venus Rosewater Dish.
And so, to the king. For the first time, Andy Murray will open proceedings on Centre Court as not just the Single Handed Champion of the World but as the world’s No.1 tennis player and the soon-to-be father of two.
Forget the troublesome hip and dodgy results. He’s fine, Murray assured us here on Sunday. Yet, naturally, we fret, especially when we hear his carefree, 20-year-old Russian-born Kazakh opponent Alexander Bublik offering the disconcerting observation: “My game is unpredictable. I don’t even know what I’m going to do!”
He’s quite the character is Bublik, who was recently to be found interrogating Murray for a fun website feature, asking his illustrious interviewee cheekily whether he needed to call him ‘Sir’. Nice lad, but perhaps Murray ought to have reminded him that the Eminem quote tattooed on Bublik’s arm - “You won’t break me, you just make me stronger than I was” - applied to a stubborn old Scot too.
As if Murray’s slight limp hadn't been consuming us enough, it was even more wince-inducing to watch our great ladies’ hope Johanna Konta crashing heavily onto her back during her victory over world No.1 Angelique Kerber last week.
It was a relief when Eastbourne’s finest, left nursing a sore head and an injured thoracic spine, reported on Sunday that she would be fit for her match with Su-Wei Hsieh on No.1 Court. Now for the difficult bit; Konta lost to the same 31-year-old Chinese Taipei opponent in the French Open first round just five weeks ago and Su-Wei, a Ladies’ Doubles champion here in 2013, likes the grass.
The familiar home trio of Heather Watson, Laura Robson and Naomi Broady are all on duty today but if it’s an old-fashioned domestic fairytale ‘a la Marcus Willis’ you’re after, can we point you to No.2 Court and introduce 21-year-old wild card Cameron Norrie, a cosmopolitan young fellow with a Scottish dad and Welsh mum, who was born in South Africa, brought up in New Zealand and London, is based in Texas and considers himself a true Brit. For once, his ever-popular opponent, good old Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, may be saddled as the bad guy.
In the absence of our Ladies’ Singles champion Serena Williams, who’s still doing an hour’s hitting practice every day while seven months pregnant (leading us all to wish heartily to see her back here next year), big sister and five-time singles champion Venus will open up on No.1 Court, which is taking a short breather from its handsome renovation, against the rising young Belgian, Elise Mertens.
That same arena will also offer Rafael Nadal the most rousing salute for his recent 10th French Open triumph, one of sport’s truly great landmarks, as he sets off against Australian John Millman. Is Nadal due a big Fortnight after going out to a player with a three-figure ranking in his last four visits to Wimbledon? Er, we should point out Millman is world No.137.
No.3 Court looks great fun, with the inimitable Nick Kyrgios and new uninhibited French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko headlining and Aljaz Bedene, Britain’s No.4, in tin helmet mode as Ivo Karlovic attempts to add to his current world record tally of 12,018 aces.
Yet forgive us for reflecting that the most wonderful news of this opening day is Petra Kvitova’s return to the scene of her two ladies’ singles titles. With admirable courage and resolve, the Czech has brought her career back to where it belongs six months since it hung in the balance following a knife attack.
Against Sweden’s Johanna Larsson, Kvitova will come protected, and actually freed, by perspective. “If I win or lose the last point,” she smiled on Saturday, “I will still be happy to play.” And how happy we all will be to see her.
