British teenager Jack Draper made a dream start to his Grand Slam debut after claiming the first set against Novak Djokovic.
The 19-year-old held his own against the world number 1 and saved a remarkable seven break points in the first set.
Despite only housing 50% capacity, Draper’s early efforts earned a standing ovation from the fans in attendance at Centre Court.
But Djokovic showed his class and took the next three sets, losing just five games in only 83 minutes.
Five-time champion Djokovic said: “I was very sad last year that Wimbledon was cancelled. I’m really glad the sport is back.”
“Walking onto Wimbledon Centre Court for the first time, I think he (Draper) has done extremely well. He carried himself very maturely on the court. He deserves credit for that.”
Draper, who received a wildcard in order to make his senior SW19 debut, was the first of ten Brits scheduled to be involved in singles action on day one.
Andy Murray will mark his Wimbledon return with a Centre Court match against 24th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili, while Dan Evans will have to wait until tomorrow for his postponed meeting with Feliciano Lopez.
Featured Image Credit: ATP Tour
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