Former champion Roger Federer acknowledges the crowd during day two of the Championships Wimbledon at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, England, July 4, 2023. /CFP
Wimbledon king Roger Federer returned to light up a rain-drenched second day at the grasscourt championships as the new prince of the hallowed lawns Carlos Alcaraz began his campaign to seize the crown on Tuesday.
Retired Swiss great Federer ditched his racket for a classy cream blazer and a comfy seat as the eight-time Wimbledon champion graced the Royal Box and received possibly the longest ovation of his illustrious career.
On a day when 69 first round matches were rained off, the 41-year-old stayed nice and dry under the closed Center Court roof to watch defending women's champion Elena Rybakina come from a set down to beat Shelby Rogers 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
He then saw British national treasure Andy Murray begin his bid for an unlikely third Wimbledon title by dispatching home wildcard Ryan Peniston for the loss of four games.
But Federer missed Spanish phenomenon Alcaraz, the 20-year-old who has taken the tennis world by storm.
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during the first round of the Championships Wimbledon at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, England, July 4, 2023. /CFP
While the Swiss was milking the applause, Alcaraz was on Court One pounding winners past experienced Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in a 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 victory that illustrated why he has surged to the top of the rankings and is seeded number one.
Alcaraz, playing his third Wimbledon, bagged the first set in 20 minutes and the second in not much more time before being pushed harder by the 36-year-old Chardy who is now retiring but can at least say he faced a player tipped for future domination.
The last point of Chardy's professional career was an Alcaraz ace that whistled past his outstretched racket.
"I'm really happy with the level that I played, with the performance today," Alcaraz told reporters, although he was not so happy that Federer missed his match.
"After the match I was on the phone checking everything, all the stories, all the posts. I saw that Federer was here. I was a little bit jealous."
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan during the first round of the Championships Wimbledon at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, England, July 4, 2023. /CFP
With rain still falling late in the afternoon, play was abandoned on the outside courts with Court Two and Court Three ticket holders and those with ground passes eligible for full refunds after seeing barely an hour of tennis.
But the Centre Court roof, criticized on Monday after an 80-minute delay during men's champion Novak Djokovic's opening win, enabled women's second seed Aryna Sabalenka to reach round two with a 6-3, 6-1 win against Panna Udvardy.
Wednesday, when better weather is forecast, will have a manic schedule as the tournament referee attempts to complete the first-round matches in the top half of the men's draw and bottom half of the women's draw.
The only other match played on Tuesday was local hope Cameron Norrie against Czech Tomas Machac, with the 12th-seeded Briton prevailing 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Court One.