The opening day of Wimbledon 2025 delivered a mix of close shaves, early upsets and standout performances, as the grass-court Grand Slam at the All England Club in London got under way on Monday under mercifully cooler skies than the heatwave that had gripped the city the previous week.
Men's world number one and defending champion Jannik Sinner of Italy survived a genuine scare in his first match since his shock second-round exit at the French Open, eventually defeating Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3 in three hours and 30 minutes. Sinner, who fell during the match and bloodied his white shoe after injuring a nail, was in danger of becoming only the third defending Wimbledon men's champion to lose in the opening round, but steadied himself after dropping the third set to dominate proceedings. The win brought him to 94 Grand Slam match victories, equalling the Italian record set by Nicola Pietrangeli. Women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka, who had spoken openly about being in a "deep, dark place" following her French Open quarterfinal collapse, was far more composed, dismissing Serbian qualifier Teodora Kostovic 6-2, 6-3. Eighth seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia was equally commanding, beating former champion Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. However, seeds Casper Ruud of Norway and Andrey Rublev of Russia both fell in the first round, with Rublev losing a deciding-set tiebreaker 14-12 after squandering two match points.
One of the most talked-about moments came from Japan's Naomi Osaka, who walked onto court in an elegant full-length white kimono before her 6-1, 7-5 victory over France's Elsa Jacquemot. The outfit — a nod to Kill Bill's Lucy Liu, as well as to Osaka's Japanese heritage — was carefully designed to comply with Wimbledon's strict all-white dress code. "You don't have to see the colour of a kimono to know that it is a kimono," Osaka explained, adding that the look was her way of "paying a lot of respect and love to Japan." Among the day's other notable victories, newly crowned French Open champion Mirra Andreeva of Russia, seeded fifth, beat Poland's Magda Linette, while American fourth seed Jessica Pegula advanced in straight sets. French Open runner-up Maja Chwalinska had a painful exit, falling and injuring herself while on match point before losing to Thai qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew.
The day brought little cheer for British fans. Emma Raducanu had already withdrawn with injury on the eve of the tournament, and Jack Draper followed with an arm injury on Monday itself. Ten British players lost their first-round matches, including number one Cameron Norrie, beaten in five sets by American qualifier Michael Zheng. On a brighter note for the sport's future, 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca beat Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut, while fellow teenager Rafael Jodar of Spain also impressed on debut. In the Dutch corner, Botic van de Zandschulp reached the second round for the sixth consecutive year with a four-set win over American Aleksandar Kovacevic, while compatriot Jesper de Jong's match against Australia's Rinky Hijikata was suspended due to failing light and is set to resume Tuesday.
The early results underscore the wide-open nature of this year's draw, with Carlos Alcaraz of Spain — who has won Wimbledon twice — absent from the men's competition, leaving Sinner as the heavy favourite despite his shaky opener. With several seeds already eliminated and new names making their presence felt, the tournament appears set for a compelling fortnight.