Djokovic begins Wimbledon defense in style
June 25, 2012 — Updated 1758 GMT (0158 HKT)
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic begin the defense of his men’s singles title on Centre Court at Wimbledon
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Defending champion Novak Djokovic beats Juan Carlos Ferrero in Wimbledon first round
- Third seed Roger Federer cruises past Spain’s Albert Ramos 6-1 6-1 6-1
- No. 24 seed Marcel Granollers loses to Serbia’s Victor Troicki
- Eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic beats former finalist David Nalbandian
(CNN) — Top seed Novak Djokovic began the defense of his Wimbledon title with an emphatic Centre Court victory over Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero on day one of the championships.
The 25-year-old, playing for the first time since his defeat to Rafael Nadal in the French Open final earlier this month, recovered from a rusty start to cruise through 6-3 6-3 6-1.
The Serbian world number one had opted to take a break following his defeat to Nadal at Roland Garros, rather than playing in Wimbledon warmup tournaments.
Third seed Roger Federer looked in imperious form in his first round match against Spain’s Albert Ramos.
The six-time champion powered though 6-1 6-1 6-1 to make it a tough All England Club debut for world number 43 Ramos.
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Federer, without a grand glam title since the 2010 Australian Open, is bidding to equal Pete Sampras’s record of seven Wimbledon titles.
“I played a good match against a guy who doesn’t have much experience on grass courts,” he said following the win.
“I could save energy and it gives you confidence when you close out a match that easily.”
Former finalist David Nalbandian, who was disqualified from last week’s Aegon Championships final when he injured a line judge, lost in straight sets to eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic.
Meanwhile, Spain’s Marcel Granollers was the first seeded player eliminated in the men’s singles, the No. 24 seed tumbling out in five sets to Serbia’s Victor Troicki.
Number two seed and two-time champion Rafael Nadal plays his first round match against Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci on Tuesday, while home hope Andy Murray faces Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko.
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