Seoul Gazette - Alcaraz launches Wimbledon bid as Murray dreams big

Tennis's new golden boy Alcaraz will go into his match against French veteran Jeremy Chardy with a spring in his step after claiming his first title on grass last month.

The Spanish 20-year-old's triumph at Queen's, where he beat Alex de Minaur in the final, was his fifth title of the season, and the first of his career on the surface.

The US Open champion is seen as one of the few credible threats to Novak Djokovic, who is targeting a record-equalling eighth men's Wimbledon crown.

The top seed said his win at Queen's had given him confidence but that Djokovic, who eased through to the second round on Monday, remains the man to beat.

"I started Queen's with no expectation to win and I won it," he said.

"I feel great playing such a great level. The confidence grew a lot. But obviously for me the main favourite here is Djokovic."

Murray, who plays with a metal hip, takes on fellow British player Ryan Peniston 10 years after his career-defining first win at Wimbledon -- the first of three Grand Slam titles.

Despite winning two events on the second-tier Challenger Tour last month, the 36-year-old missed out on a seeding for Wimbledon and has not been beyond the third round of a Grand Slam since 2017.

- Murray magic -

But the 40th-ranked Murray still believes he has what it takes.

"I do believe I'm one of the best grass-court players in the world, and I'm physically feeling really good," he said. "I prepared well, so there's no reason why I can't have a good tournament."

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, last year's beaten Wimbledon finalist, is due to face Poland's Magdalena Frech.

Sixth seed Jabeur, who became the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam women's singles final, said she wanted to learn from her run at the All England Club last year.

"I just want to use that experience, use the pressure that I felt last year, to maybe do better this year," she said.

The Centre Court crowd will celebrate Roger Federer's achievements at Wimbledon with a special ceremony before play starts on the show court.

The Swiss great, 41, has mostly stayed away from tennis since bowing out in emotional scenes at the Laver Cup in London last September but was similarly honoured at the grass-court event in Halle, Germany, last month.

Women's top seed Iga Swiatek sailed into the second round on Monday but seventh seed Coco Gauff was shocked by US qualifier Sofia Kenin.

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open this year, and third-seeded defending champion Elena Rybakina are also in action on Tuesday.

Wimbledon chiefs have downplayed concerns over dampness on Centre Court despite a long delay during Djokovic's first-round match against Pedro Cachin on the opening day of the championships.

Operations director Michelle Dite said there was more moisture in the grass than expected but organisers were not planning to do anything different on Tuesday.

"There was nothing strange," she said. "It was a set of circumstances with the environmental control in the bowl. There is nothing that's broken. There is nothing that means we're not confident in playing today."

K. Petersen--BTZ