LONDON (AP) — Play is underway in the 139th edition of Wimbledon.
Among the early matches on the opening day of the grass-court Grand Slam: Fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula beat Darja Vidmanova 7-5, 6-3; rising Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar, in his Wimbledon debut, beat Felix Gill 6-3, 6-3, 7-5; and French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska, who needed a wild-card entry, was beaten 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 by Mananchaya Sawangkaew.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner was opening play on Centre Court against Miomir Kecmanovic with David Beckham looking on from the Royal Box, followed by top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka against Teodora Kostovic and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic against Wu Yibing.
Meanwhile, former top-five player Jack Draper withdrew ahead of his match against Taylor Fritz on Tuesday because of an arm injury. Draper is now ranked No. 131.
Conditions were ideal Monday with sunny skies and the temperature 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) and forecast to rise only to 24 C (75 F).
Serena Williams will play her opening match on Tuesday against 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia — marking the first time she competes in singles in nearly four years. Then she’ll play doubles with older sister Venus Williams later in the week.
Wimbledon was first held in 1877.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
