If this is how Petra Kvitova plays when she is nervous, then heaven help the rest of the women’s draw when she settles down.
The defending Wimbledon champion picked up where she left off last year with a blistering 6-1, 6-0 victory over world No108 Kiki Bertens, of the Netherlands, that will remind everyone the Czech will not be giving up her title easily.
On a picture-perfect day, with temperatures around 30C expected, Kvitova had expected to be nervous as she “opened” the women’s event in the traditional slot reserved for the holder, especially after pulling out of the Eastbourne warmup event because of a virus.
But in front of a packed crowd on Centre Court, including her parents, Kvitova played with the freedom of a reigning champion as she raced to victory in 36 minutes, dropping one point on serve in the match.
“Of course I was very nervous before the match,” Kvitova said. “But stepping on the court, with all the people clapping, the atmosphere was unbelievable. I’m really glad I played so well.
“I think it is better than in 2012 when I was defending my first Wimbledon title. But nerves are healthy as long as they are not too much.”
The first set took 18 minutes with Kvitova dominating from the off, not dropping a point on serve.
Bertens, who has fallen from a career-high ranking of 41 two years ago, was overpowered by the No 2 seed. A break in the first game of the second set put her on course again and she ripped through the next five games to record an utterly dominant victory, a double-fault in the last game the only success Bertens had on the Kvitova serve.
