Serena shows raw emotion; Federer starts well

Wimbledon has come to expect fighting instincts and effortless power from Serena Williams but the raw tears she shed after beating Aravane Rezai on Tuesday betrayed just how much torment she has suffered since holding the trophy aloft last year. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Caroline Wozniacki made short work of their opponents in first-round matches but the emotional Williams had more of a battle as she captivated the crowd in blustery conditions on Center Court. After crunching down an ace to earn a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win over the tenacious Frenchwoman, defending champion Williams covered her face and wept before walking off to generous applause from a crowd delighted to see her back on the hallowed turf. "I never dreamt I would be here right now," said the 29-year-old American, who only returned to action last week in Eastbourne after 49 weeks out with a foot injury and a pulmonary embolism that left her on her death bed. "I just wanted to win just one match here seeing as I'm not playing doubles, it was just a really big win for me. "It's been so hard and a disaster year for me, but I've been praying and I have my family here and I just love tennis," added 13-times grand slam champion, who along with older sister Venus has reigned supreme at the All England Club for most of the last decade. Andy Roddick, another American who has become a favorite son in this leafy suburb of London courtesy of his three final defeats by Federer, also progressed to the second round. The 28-year-old, playing in his 11th Wimbledon, beat German qualifier Andreas Beck 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 on Court One to maintain his record of always reaching the second round. His nemesis Federer battled the wind and the awkward serve of Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin to prevail 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Center Court with his usual slew of breathtaking shots helping the fans forget the bracing chill. "The first match at Wimbledon is never easy. I struggled to get enough returns in during the first set. He played well," the Swiss third seed said. "It was tricky conditions, a lot of wind. It was really strange how the wind came in." Serbian second seed Djokovic, whose 43-match winning run was ended by Federer in the French Open semifinals, began his quest for a first Wimbledon title with a rapid 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 hammering of Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, crushed Italy's Flavio Cipolla 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 and reliable Spaniard David Ferrer beat Benoit Paire 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. On the day that Nicolas Mahut and John Isner meet in a sequel to last year's freakish 11-hour battle of survival, it was the fit-again Williams who was center of attention. Almost a year after beating Vera Zvonareva to win her fourth singles title on the lush green lawns, Williams returned to her favorite stage having played just two competitive matches in the 11 months since her huge health scares. If she had hoped for a sedate opener, however, she was sadly mistaken. With an alarm wailing in the stands and spots of rain falling from the cloudy skies, the first game lasted nine minutes in which time Williams was foot-faulted twice, made rudimentary errors and even had trouble with her hair band. To make matters worse, Rezai came out swinging from the hip and looked in the mood to cause a shock. Williams, who had never lost a grand slam first round match in the 43 she has contested, slipped 2-0 behind but soon found her swagger and reeled off the next five games. Rezai hit back to level after breaking in the sixth game of the second set before Williams regained control and swept through the decider in 25 minutes. Top seed Wozniacki had no trouble in disposing of Spain's Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-2, 6-1 and the two surprise women's semi-finalists from last year also eased through. Czech left-hander Petra Kvitova beat America's Alexa Glatch 6-2, 6-2 and Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova followed with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Italian Camila Giorgi. Former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic became the highest women's seed to fall when she crashed 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 to Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. From arab news.