 "Wimbledon 2017: From Dustin Brown's flying volley to Petra Kvitova's lunging winner, best shots from Day 1")
Human highlights reel Dustin Brown enthralled in his first-round win over Joao Sousa in four sets, and as expected, there were plenty of jaw-dropping points from the flamboyant German showman. Brown dropped the first set but eventually fought back to win 3-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4. To win one of his points, Brown dived on the grass court and made a flying volley winner on full stretch. “We have a contender for shot of the tournament on the very first day,” the commentator roared in delight after Brown’s super athletic shot. Watch the point below.
“We have a contender for shot of the tournament on the very first day”
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADDustin Brown has been at it again… #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/wuDKZEjQQb — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2017
Brown faces top seed and defending champion Andy Murray in the second round on Wednesday, but he knows what it takes to beat a top player at Wimbledon. Brown famously knocked out Rafael Nadal at 2015 in the second round, and will be hoping for a similar result against Murray. Regardless of what happens in the match, fans will be assured of a lot of entertaining tennis. Nadal himself was very impressive in his 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 win over John Millman of Australia on No 1 Court. He produced a stunning round-the-post forehand winner on the run in the opening game of the third set to clinch a long rally. Watch some of his best shots in the video below.
The first-round win was Nadal’s 850th career victory, and the two-time Wimbledon champion is just the seventh player to reach the 850-win mark, joining Roger Federer, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Guillermo Villas. Fresh from winning his 10th French Open title last month, Nadal marked his 50th match at Wimbledon by crushing Millman in one hour and 46 minutes on Court No 1. With 217 Grand Slam match victories, Nadal is now in sixth place on the all-time list at the majors. He even won the Play of the Day for this pin-point accurate, top-spin volley. Nadal plays American Donald young in his second round.
Meanwhile, in the women’s draw, Petra Kvitova made a winning return to Wimbledon and had the crowds on their feet with some of her extraordinary shot-making. The Czech ace too pulled off a no-look, lunging volley at full stretch to win a point in the fourth game of the second set of her opening round.
Petra Kvitova calmly pulling off her best impression of @Martina pic.twitter.com/Dn1d2Z3FTp — Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) July 3, 2017
The surgeon who repaired Kvitova’s left hand was in the Centre Court stands to watch her win in Wimbledon’s first round on Monday. Kvitova was a bit overwhelmed by the whole scene as she returned to the site of her two Grand Slam titles, a little more than six months after being cut by a knife-wielding intruder at her home in the Czech Republic. Still unable to clench her hand for celebratory fist pumps or grip her racket fully, Kvitova came back to the All England Club and beat Johanna Larsson 6-3, 6-4. All five fingers on the lefty’s racket-swinging hand were injured in the late December attack. At the time, Kvitova was told there was a possibility she might not play tennis again. Scars on that hand serve as a reminder of what happened, and she thinks the cream that she often rubs on her hands during changeovers — something she’s long done, even before the stabbing — might help her improve her grip strength. Check out another winner that she hit off a well-executed lob to turn the point in her favour.
Petra Kvitova still can’t make a fist with her left hand, but she can do this with it. Think about that. pic.twitter.com/DpDUpZKVbN
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) July 3, 2017
Kvitova takes on Madison Brengle of USA in her second-round clash on Wednesday. With inputs from agencies
