Federer quickly finds his feet

TENNIS WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIPS:EARLY BUT brief concern was that five-times winner on Centre Court Roger Federer had trimmed his preparation this year a little too close. His pre-Wimbledon knock at Halle, which had traditionally led the ceremonial charge for London's tennis crown jewels, was abandoned after winning the French Open for the first time.

But once again he walked on to Centre Court with his blazer, smoking jacket, gold filigree bag and a serene demeanour that would have looked faintly ridiculous had anyone else tried it. Federer can carry off the faux royalty with some degree of dignity, but not long after disrobing and carefully placing his jacket on the back of the chair, a break of serve for the unheralded Yen-Hsun Lu triggered a tsunami of chattering in the newly-roofed stadium.

The number-two seed Federer had opened with two brisk service games to love but his serve was broken third time up. Struggling with mis-hits and poor placement, he eventually won the first set hot on the back of a poor put-away volley into the net by his 25-year-old opponent.

But then it was as if the lights came on. The lithe, silent footwork arrived and was speckled with absurd, bespoke shots from behind his body and down at his toes. Curving forehands were hit running at full pace to find the make-believe sixpences in both corners of Lu’s court. A set was all it took for the 2007 champion to unclog, blow out and from there race to a 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 opening win.

The final two, occasionally jaw-dropping, sets prompted a post-match question to Federer about an interview he gave three years ago. Written by the late American author David Foster Wallace, it was called "Roger Federer as a Religious Experience". Yes, there were stifled guffaws. But Federer had read it and had remembered the essay, which was published in the New York Times.

Wallace attempted to study the aspects of Federer that makes him not just impossibly effective but also a thing of beauty, and why so many respected voices regard him so reverentially. “Sure I remember his piece,” said Federer. “I had a funny feeling coming out of the interview. I wasn’t sure what was going to come out of it. The piece was obviously fantastic. It’s completely different to what I’ve read in the past about me.”

Federer was pleased and, to the backdrop of seeds like James Blake and Felicano Lopez departing, took an impressive first step towards a 15th Grand Slam title, a mark that would further give flesh to Wallace’s essay.

“Maybe there was a time in 2006, 2007 where people just thought everything’s easy,” said Federer wistfully. “But it never is. It might look easy but it’s not . . . That was a tough first set.”

Not as tough as Novak Djokovic’s tussle with Julien Benneteau, which ended in drama as the Frenchman crashed into the back wall as the fourth seed earned his second match point. Benneteau needed treatment to his right knee before saving that point but not the next, Djokovic winning in four sets.

Yesterday's results

Prefix denotes seeding.

WOMEN'S SINGLES,first round

26-V Razzano (Fra) bt T Paszek (Aus) 6-0 3-1 (Paszek retired). F Schiavone (Ita) bt 23-A Wozniak (Can) 4-6 6-4 6-4. M Larcher de Brito (Por) bt K Zakopalova (Cze) 6-2 7-5. 10-Nadia Petrova (Rus) bt A Yakimova (Bel) 6-1, 6-1. 2-S Williams (US) bt N Silva (Por) 6-1 7-5. R Olaru (Rom) bt N Dechy (Fra) 1-6 7-6(0) 6-2. 14-D Cibulkova (Slo) bt J Coin (Fra) 6-4 3-6 6-3. R Vinci (Ita) bt M Rybarikova (Slo) 6-3 6-2. S Peer (Isr) bt M Elena Camerin (Ita) 6-2 7-6(3). J Groth (Aus) bt L Safarova (Cze) 6-3 3-6 6-3. 8-V Azarenka (Bel) bt S Bremond (Fra) 6-2 (Bremond retired). U Radwanska (Pol) bt M Zec Peskiric (Slo) 6-3 6-3. 24-M Sharapova (Rus) bt V Kutuzova (Ukr) 7-5 6-4. 16-Z Jie (Chi) bt K Barrois (Ger) 7-6(2) 7-6(4). R Kulikova (Rus) bt K Sprem (Croatia) 4-6 7-5 6-3. D Hantuchova (Slo) bt L Robson (Brit) 3-6 6-4 6-2. S Mirza (Ind) bt A-L Groenefeld (Ger) 6-2 2-6 6-2. 28-S Cirstea (Rom) bt Ea Gallovits (Rom) 7-5 6-1. 27-A Kleybanova (Rus) bt S Karatantcheva (Kaz) 6-2 7-5. G Dulko (Arg) bt S Foretz (Fra) 6-3 7-5. 31-A Pavlyuchenkova (Rus) bt P Cetkovska (Cze) 6-2 6-2. J Craybas (US) bt T Pironkova (Bul) 6-4, 7-5. 4-E Dementieva (Rus) bt A Kudryavtseva (Rus) 6-4 6-1. 12-Marin Bartoli (France) bat Chn Yung-jan (Taiwn) 6-0

6-0. E Vesnina (Rus) bt Y Wickmayer (Bel) 6-1 6-1. M Johansson (Fra) bt M South (Brit) 7-5 7-6(5). A P Santonja (Spa) bt T Tanasugarn (Tha) 6-4 6-4. A Sugiyama (Jap) bt 21-P Schnyder (Swi) 6-4 6-4.

MEN'S SINGLESfirst round

7-F Verdasco (Spa) bt J Ward (Brit) 6-1 6-3 6-4. G Canas (Arg) bt D Junqueira (Arg) 6-1 6-2 6-2. S Greul (Ger) bt M Yani (U.) 6-4 6-2 7-5. V Spadea (US) bt P Capdeville (Chi) 6-0 6-4 7-5. S Bolelli (Ita) bt D Koellerer (Aus) 6-7(3) 2-6 7-5 6-4 6-4. 9-J-W Tsonga (Fra) bt A Golubev (Kaz) 6-3 5-7 7-6(4) 7-6(5). 13-R Soderling (Swe) bt G Muller (Lux) 6-7(4) 7-5 6-1 6-2. J Tipsarevic (Ser) bt J Hernych (Cze) 6-4 6-4 7-6(4). N Almagro (Spa) bt J Monaco (Arg) 6-7(3) 6-7(7) 7-6(5) 6-4 8-6. D Sela (Isr) bt S Gonzalez (Mex) 6-4 4-6 7-6(2) 6-3. K Beck (Slo) bt 21-F Lopez (Spa) 1-6 7-5 6-3 4-6 10-8. 28-M Fish (US) bt S Roitman (Arg) 6-3 6-2 4-1 (Roitman retired). 2-R Federer (Swi) bt Lu Yen-hsun (Tai) 7-5 6-3 6-2. A Seppi (Ita) bt 17-J Blake (US 7-5 6-4 7-6(5). I Minar (Cze) bt M Gonzalez (Arg) 6-4 3-6 7-5 6-0. G Garcia-Lopez (Spa) bt A Calleri (Arg) 6-2 6-3 6-2. 27-P Kohlschreiber (Ger) bt F Serra (Fra) 7-6(3) 6-1 6-4. M Gicquel (Fra) bt A Mannarino (Fra) 6-2 6-2 6-4. K Vliegen (Bel) bt N Mahut (Fra) 6-3 7-6(6) 5-7 5-7 6-4. 22-I Karlovic (Cro) bt L Lacko (Slo) 6-3

7-6(4) 6-3. S Koubek (Aus) bt E Roger-Vasselin (Fra) 7-5 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-3 18-R Schuettler (Ger) bt X Malisse (Bel) 6-7(9) 6-4 7-6(3) 6-1. 29-I Andreev (Rus) bt E Korolev (Rus) 4-6 7-6(2) 6-4 7-6(4).

15-T Robredo (Spa) bt L Gregorc (Slo) 7-6(4) 6-4 5-7 7-6(3). K Vliegen (Bel) bt N Mahut (Fra) 6-3 7-6(6) 5-7 5-7 6-4. 22-I Karlovic (Cro) bt Ls Lacko (Slo) 6-3 7-6(4) 6-3. S Koubek (Aut) bt E Roger-Vasselin (Fra) 7-5 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-3. 18-R Schuettler (Ger) bt Xr Malisse (Bel)

6-7(9) 6-4 7-6(3) 6-1. 29-I Andreev (Rus) bt E Korolev (Rus) 4-6 7-6(2) 6-4 7-6(4). 15-T Robredo (Spa) bt L Gregorc (Slo) 7-6(4) 6-4 5-7 7-6(3). 4-N Djokovic (Ser) bt J Benneteau (Fra) 6-7(8) 7-6(1) 6-2 6-4.

S Darcis (Bel) bt F Dancevic (Can) 6-4 7-6(4) 6-3. M Granollers (Spa) bt A Beck (Ger) 6-2 6-4 6-7(4) 6-2. 11-Marn Cilic (Croata) bat Albero Martin (Span) 6-3 6-4

6-4. Sm Querrey (US) bat Dani Udomchoke (Tha) 6-3 6-4 6-4. 32-A Montanes (Spa) bt G Zemlja (Slo) 6-4 6-4 6-4.