As Elena Rybakina made her way on to Centre Court, the nerves that naturally accompany a first-round match at Wimbledon were magnified.
For the first time in her life, Rybakina, 24, was the defending champion at a grand slam. It was, as she put it, “a new chapter” – one brimming with potential plot twists.
Rybakina, who had played just two matches on grass since pulling out of Roland Garros with a viral illness, could not be sure how her game – or her fitness – would hold up. What’s more, in Shelby Rogers, she faced an opponent who had won two of their five previous meetings – including the most recent, last summer on the grass courts of s’Hertogenbosch.
So when Rybakina looked up to see Roger Federer in the front row of the Royal Box, she could have been forgiven for scooping up her belongings and making straight for the exit. There’s nothing like the presence of an eight-time Wimbledon champion to put your own achievements in perspective, and it hardly helped that her first service game was towards the Royal Box end, where the great Swiss was directly in her line of vision. It was probably not a coincidence that Rybakina opened with a double-fault.
“Yeah, maybe that’s why I was nervous, because actually I really like Roger,” Rybakina acknowledged after battling to a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 win. “When I was younger, I was always watching him play. It was really special.”
Special was the right word. Federer, in town as a guest of the club, was earlier afforded a lengthy ovation by the Centre Court crowd, who were also treated to a video montage of the 41-year-old’s Wimbledon exploits. Seated next to him was the Princess of Wales: royalty alongside tennis royalty, as Andy Murray, who followed Rybakina on to Centre Court – where he swept aside fellow Brit Ryan Peniston 6-3, 6-0, 6-1 – later put it.
Back on court, though, the opening set was more about Rogers than Roger. The 30-year-old American, ranked 49th in the world, has form for an upset. A former quarter-finalist at Roland Garros and the US Open – where she stunned Ashleigh Barty, then the world No 1, in 2021 – Rogers’s CV includes wins over the likes of Serena Williams, Simona Halep and Maria Sakkari.
Given her pedigree, it was no surprise when Rogers capitalised on Rybakina’s shaky start to snatch an immediate break, from where she brought her clean, powerful shot-making and big-match mentality to bear. As Rogers sealed the opening set with an ace, thoughts turned to 1994, when Steffi Graf was beaten by Lori McNeil, the first time a defending women’s champion had fallen in round one.
“I needed the full set, I would say – which is not the greatest, of course – to feel better and start playing also, and raise the level,” said Rybakina. “First matches, I think they’re always tough mentally to get [in]to the rhythm of the tournament.”
Find her level she did, though, most notably on serve. Among the leading women, only Sabalenka has a delivery of comparable quality, yet Rybakina’s motion is the more fluid and technically secure of the two, and it is no coincidence that she leads the women’s tour for aces. Nine of her 12 aces came in the final two sets, and as she found her service rhythm, confidence flowed into every area of her game. Remarkably, she lost only three points on her first serve in the entire contest, which she finished with a healthy ratio of 31 winners to 18 unforced errors.
“On grass, everything changes quickly,” said Rybakina.
Sabalenka later produced an emphatic display to see off Hungary’s Panna Udvardy, the world No 82, 6-3, 6-1. The Belarusian second seed, who revealed before the tournament that she could not bear to watch television coverage of Wimbledon last summer following the ban on Russian and Belarusian players, went about her business with evident relish on her return to a stage where she came within a couple of games of making a first final two years ago.
“I really love Wimbledon,” said Sabalenka after her victory on Centre Court. “I have great memories from two years ago. I made the semi-finals. I’m always enjoying my game here at Wimbledon, enjoying the atmosphere.
“It was a really tough period for me last year. I was just super happy to be here this year.
“I think I actually didn’t realise how much I missed Wimbledon last year till today’s match. It was really great performance, great atmosphere. Just super happy to be back.”
Rybakina and Sabalenka are seeded to meet in the last four, a matchup that would put at least one member of the world’s top three through to a sixth consecutive grand slam final. Rybakina, however, has no truck with the notion that the trio stand head and shoulders above the chasing pack.
“There are still a lot of good players,” said Rybakina. “I think it’s too early to say anything about just three players, because it’s not like it was Roger or Djokovic. It’s still too far. That’s why I don’t really focus on that. Anyone still can beat anyone.”
Rogers offered what may prove a valuable early reminder of that truth for Rybakina, who has been handed a challenging draw. For now, though, the defending champion remains on course.