Katie Falkingham
BBC Sport at Wimbledon

As I was walking up Henman Hill my eye was caught by a glitzy badge. Its wearer, Juli, is celebrating her 40th birthday today with a first visit to Wimbledon.

"It's absolutely brilliant, what a beautiful place, I'm taken aback by how stunning it is," she tells me.

Juli's friend Debbie, has been to Wimbledon every year for the last 15 years (excluding 2020, obviously) and is surprised by how busy it is, given the restrictions.

"I was expecting a lot less people. But getting in was really easy, I thought it was going to be really difficult.

"It feels a little bit different, but I'm just as excited as I usually am."

They didn't want a photo "because of the rain", but happy birthday Juli!

A couple of aces hammered down the middle from Novak Djokovic and once again Draper is a passenger in that service game.

That's a dozen Djokovic aces now and he's won 86% of points on his first serve. If that percentage stays like that then you can only see there being one winner.

Leon Smith, Britain's Davis Cup captain, is among the crowd on Centre Court and will be very impressed with what he is seeing from Draper.

He looked in trouble at 0-30, but fights back well to hold his serve, letting out a yelp of 'yes' as Djokovic goes long for a big hold for Draper.

This match was just looking like it was running away from him so that's a good test of character.

It's like an ice skating rink out there and Draper again hits the deck, this time running backwards in the opening game.

He loses the opening two points of the third set as Djokovic looks to put his foot on the accelerator and race away with this one. 0-30.

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Wimbledon

Djokovic was never going to panic, was he? The world number one looked rattled after that first slip in the opening set, but has been much more assured in this second set.

Back on terms and you would expect - sorry to be a mood killer - the Serb to overtake and motor towards round two now.

Three years ago, Jack Draper reached the boys' final at Wimbledon and was hoping to become the first British boys' champion since 1962, but then lost to Tseng Chun-hsin.

But have a watch below of Draper's epic semi-final victory against Nicolas Mejia in an incredible match that lasted more than four hours.

Mejia saved nine match points - eight in the deciding set - before the 16-year-old sealed a 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (6-8) 19-17 win.

Djokovic lost the first set, but then responded just as you would expect the champion to do - by storming through the second set.

An ace brings him to set point and a second-serve ace is just too good and Djokovic, just as you would expect, has bounced back in style.

One set apiece.

This set looks done and dusted. Djokovic gets a double break and is now serving to take set two and make it one each.

Novak Djokovic is again piling the pressure on the Draper serve.

At 40-30, the teenager sees his first serve fall into the net and Draper tries a drop shot, but Djokovic spotted it, kept the point going and then finished it off with a routine volley at the net. Deuce.

Georgie Heath: Me to me: "Stay calm. Be cool. Don't get ahead of yourself"

Also me: "JACK DRAPER IS GOING TO BEAT DJOKOVIC AND GO ON TO WIN WIMBLEDON." #Wimbledon, external#Wimbledon2021, external

If you can't get excited about a young Briton leading against the world number one on the opening day of Wimbledon then when can you get excited?

Boris Becker
Three-time Wimbledon champion on BBC TV

I really think Draper is playing as well as he can, and he can be proud of his performance.

But we don't know how good he's going to get - he's only 19.

This is how Jack Draper would have dreamed of the first set going.

Watch below as he clinched it against the reigning Wimbledon champion.

Another service game comes and goes for Djokovic and it's another hold to love. The winning shot sees Djokovic crouching and pulls away a half-volley away.

It's originally called out, Djokovic glares, challenges and Hawk Eye proves he's right.

After losing three games on the spin at the start of the second set, this one is a much-needed and welcome one for Draper.

It includes an ace and an attempted lob from Djokovic that goes high, high but is then smashed away for a beautiful winner.

Image source, Getty Images

World-number-four Aryna Sabalenka dominated Monica Niculescu to reach round two.

The Belarusian - number two seed in the women's draw - took 29 minutes to seal set one and closed out a 6-1 6-4 win.

Sabalenka repeatedly punished the serve of her rival and saw off the threat of a second-set fight back. In all, Romania's Niculescu won just 39% of points on her first serve.

Sabalenka, 23, has never progressed through round two at Wimbledon and will face either American Danielle Lao or Britain's Katie Boulter at that stage next.

"I've never played on the centre courts of Wimbledon and I'm really happy to be here today," said Sabalenka.

"She's tough to play against, a tricky opponent. The support helped me with my nerves today. I got tired a little bit. The legs were starting to be heavier. I wasn't moving that well and that's why there were a few more mistakes."

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Wimbledon

With all the fun on court, I almost forgot to paint a picture of the scenes in the stands.

No masks are being worn - or at least very few - because they are not required with the championships being part of the UK Government’s test event programme.

No social distancing either, meaning people are sat next to each other. Of course it is only 50% full but the lower part of the stands look pretty much like normal.

Katie Falkingham
BBC Sport at Wimbledon

Normally, these corridors are jammed packed when play is under way on Centre Court, as people wait for a break in play to take their seats.

Not this year. No elbows needed to make my way through.

Image source, BBC Sport

It's another blistering hold to love from Djokovic, that's eight aces he has sent down already and in only 10 minutes he's halfway there to equalling this match.

The first match of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships has been decided, with Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka sealing a comfortable 6-1 6-4 victory against Monica Niculescu over on Court One.

"I definitely missed this atmosphere," she says following her win, speaking on BBC Two.

Up next, it will soon be time for French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas to get his campaign up and running, as the Greek third seed takes on American Frances Tiafoe.

Draper held off seven break points in the first set but can't repeat the trick in the second and Djokovic takes an early control of the set as Draper's second serve was long.