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‘A-Rod’ watches from the Royal Box, Ruben Hemelmans holds it in, and no football allowed in SW19… Wimbledon first day court report
- Alex Rodriguez was in the Royal Box watching the first day of Wimbledon action
- Ruben Bemelmans dared not take a toilet break, and Laura Robson’s a hipster
- Sportsmail brings you the Court Report from the first day of Wimbledon
Ruben Bemelmans did not dare take a toilet break during his straight-sets first-round loss to Stan Wawrinka.
It comes after he got stuck in a cubicle for 15 minutes midway through his Wimbledon qualifying encounter with Elias Ymer due to a jammed lock.
‘I didn’t want to risk it,’ he told Sportsmail when asked whether he was tempted to pop to the loo during Monday’s defeat.
Ruben Bemelmans did not dare take a toilet break during his first-round loss to Stan Wawrinka
The old guard
Ivo Karlovic, at 40 years and 136 days, became the oldest man to compete in the Wimbledon men’s singles since Ken Rosewall in 1975 on Monday – and he is still going strong.
World No 80 Karlovic of Croatia won in straight sets against Italian qualifier Andrea Arnaboldi. He will now face another Italian in world No 89 Thomas Fabbiano, who upset Stefanos Tsitsipas.
40-year-old Karlovic is the oldest man to compete in the singles since Ken Rosewall in 1975
Robson’s a hipster
Hip troubles scuppered Laura Robson’s chances of marking the 10-year anniversary of her first Wimbledon main draw appearance in 2009. Like Andy Murray, Robson underwent hip surgery previously and the former British No 1 will work for the BBC over the next fortnight instead. ‘Gutted to not be out on court this year but the granny hip struggle is real,’ she tweeted.
Elina’s frock shock
No 8 seed Elina Svitolina’s sponsors will certainly be happy with her work on Monday. She secured a straightforward 7-5, 6-0 win over Daria Gavrilova then went on to vehemently defend the Nike dress she wore on Court 18. After one journalist tweeted about the ‘basic’ outfit, Svitolina tweeted to her 97,000 followers: ‘COMPLETELY DISAGREE!!’ She also included a link to where fans can buy the £80 frock.
One journalist tweeted about Elina Svitolina’s ‘basic outfit,’ which she had a response to
A-Rod’s royal pardon
Baseball’s Alex Rodriguez was among those in the Royal Box. Surprising, considering ‘A-Rod’ is one of sport’s most notorious users of performance-enhancing drugs. Dan Evans, who previously served a ban for taking cocaine, will feature at Wimbledon for the first time since 2016 on Tuesday. He was banned in 2017 and was not handed a wildcard in 2018 following his drugs offence.
Baseball’s Alex Rodriguez was among those in the Royal Box for day one of Wimbledon
No football allowed
Don’t bother trying to find a television showing the Lionesses in their women’s World Cup semi-final if you are at the All England Club on Tuesday evening. Phil Neville’s side will take on the United States but, as with the men’s World Cup last year, it will not be shown anywhere public inside the grounds. Wimbledon chief executive Richard Lewis says they want to remain ‘consistent’.
Lose the lanyard!
SW19 security officials have been seen stopping Wimbledon staff in the street to tell them to take off their accreditation lanyards. Why? Because there are fears that thieves may target them as they walk to and from the local train stations. Should one fall into the wrong hands, that person could then use the pass to gain illegal access into the grounds.
Right between the eyes!
A swing and a miss from Kyle Edmund led to a nasty surprise for one line judge on Centre Court. One minute into their match, Jaume Munar’s 119mph serve went beyond the British No 1 and smacked an official right between the eyes. Thankfully he was OK – as were his glasses – and he continued his duties. The crowd even applauded his bravery.
Jaume Munar’s 119mph serve went beyond Kyle Edmund and hit an official right in the face
