David Beckham, Sir David Attenborough in attendance at Wimbledon as Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu open Center Court on blockbuster Day 1

Carlos Alcaraz began his title defense at Wimbledon 2024 with British legends David Beckham and Sir David Attenborough in attendance. Alcaraz faced Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal in the first round.

The Spaniard faced early jitters as he got his serve broken in the first set but recovered well to break right back and win the first set in the tiebreak. The second set had a similar start as the first one with the 2023 Wimbledon champion getting his serve broken and then breaking right back. This time he broke again to win the second set 7-5. In the third set, Alcaraz broke Lajal's serve twice to win the set 6-2 and book a place in the second round.

As Alcaraz commenced his title defense on Center Court, Sir David Attenborough and retired soccer star David Beckham witnessed the match. Attenborough arrived at the court in the midst of a thunderous applause as Beckham stood to make way for the 98-year-old.

Watch the video below:

The two legends also watched home favorite Emma Raducanu take the court against lucky loser Renata Zarazua Ruckstuhl. Raducanu missed last year's tournament due to an injury. After overcoming Ruckstuhl in straight sets, she will now face a tough challenge in the form of World No. 33 Elise Mertens.

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Carlos Alcaraz on experiencing jitters before Wimbledon 2023

Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon 2024

Carlos Alcaraz recently sat down for an interview with the Sunday Times and revealed that he was very nervous before the Wimbledon 2023 final against Novak Djokovic. He also stated that he consulted a psychologist and also listened to music to ease his nerves.

“Nervous? Of course! Before the Wimbledon final last year it was really difficult before coming to the court. I am working with a psychologist and I told her before the warm-up, ‘I am incredibly nervous!’ I was nervous since breakfast. So two hours before the final I put my headphones on. Calm music, breathing slowly," Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz said that he lied down on the physio table for 30 minutes to control his emotions but was still nervous when he entered the court.

I was in the gym at Wimbledon, lying on a physio table. It probably looked as if I was sleeping but I was just controlling my emotions, trying to calm myself and my muscles. I was there for more than 30 minutes. And then when I stepped on the court for the final I was still nervous,” he said.

Carlos Alcaraz could face Aleksandar Vukic or Sebastian Ofner in the second round of Wimbledon 2024.