Darcis stuns Nadal as Sharapova progresses

 

Originally published on: 24/06/13 00:00

Steve Darcis enjoyed the biggest win of his career as he sent two-time Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal crashing out in straight sets.

“Yes, [I am surprised] a little bit,” Darcis admitted after his 7-6(4) 7-6(8) 6-4 victory. “Nobody was expecting me to win. I knew that it would be very, very difficult. But it was a great match from the start to the end. It's one of my greatest wins. So I'm really, really happy today.”

Rafael Nadal refused to blame his chronic knee problems as he crashed out in straight sets. "It's tough losing in the first round but life continues," he said. "Talking about my knee is an excuse and I don't want to use excuses."

Lleyton Hewitt, 2002 Wimbledon champion, rolled back the years 6-4 7-5 6-3 victory over No.11 seed Stanislas Wawrinka. "It's an unbelievable feeling," Hewitt said. "I knew it was a tough draw. He's a quality player. I knew I had to come out here and play well and I played really well. I didn't feel like a total underdog going into the match. I backed myself."

Puerto Rican teenager Monica Puig produced the biggest upset of the opening day as she stunned No.5 seed Sara Errani 6-3 6-2.

Maria Sharapova was relieved to survive a tough opening round examination by France's Kristina Mladenovic. "I had a really tough first round," she said. "I knew she would come out playing extremely well. She has a very good serve. The first set we didn't break each other. I am really happy with the way I came out and played my first match. The first ones are always pretty tough, especially on grass."
Love these photos? Subscribe to tennishead magazine – our August issue will celebrate all the big moments from the 2013 Championships with a gallery featuring our exclusive images from Wimbledon

Now get the WORLD’S BEST TENNIS MAGAZINE here