Roger Federer drew gasps of admiration on Monday as he opened the defence of his Wimbledon crown with a 6-3 6-3 6-0 thrashing of Britain's Alex Bogdanovic.
But it was another unbeaten champion, Goran Ivanisevic, who melted hearts on Centre Court. Ranked 415 in the world, the rangy Croatian who has been prevented by injury from playing here since winning the title as a wildcard in 2001, beat 31st seed Mikhail Youzhny 6-3 7-6 6-2.
"Beautiful," he smiled. "It was unbelievable to walk out there today. I have so many good memories of my last match on that court and I played another great match today. "
Ivanisevic, who is retiring at the end of these championships, saluted the heavens and blew kisses as the crowd gave him a standing ovation after Youzhny had floated a backhand long to hand him victory after 86 minutes.
Martina Navratilova mixed sentiment with savage aggression when, 10 years after her last singles appearance at Wimbledon, the 47-year-old blasted Colombia's Catalina Castano 6-0 6-1.
Thirty-one years after her Wimbledon debut, Navratilova -- whose name loosely translates as "comeback" in her native Czech -- produced some vintage serve-volleying to bamboozle an opponent who, at 24, is almost half her age.
"I think I relaxed when it was six-love, five-love... that's when I finally relaxed and that's what happens, I lose a game. It's great to be out there, great to have that opportunity," said Navratilova.
She will next face Gisela Dulko, the Argentine who whipped her in the French Open first round last month in her return to grand slam singles. On the slick Wimbledon turf, the outcome this time is likely to be very different.
While Navratilova and Ivanisevic turned back the clock, Federer showed a glimpse of the future of men's tennis, beating Bogdanovic on auto-pilot. The Swiss top seed drew the sting out of the Briton's best shots on an overcast Centre Court, and pummelled countless winners of his own to hammer out his intentions in emphatic style.
Australian Lleyton Hewitt suffered a first-round loss last year but avoided a similar fate on court one with an assured 6-2 6-4 6-2 win over Austria's Juergen Melzer.
Third seed Venus Williams started her bid for a third Wimbledon crown with a 6-3 6-0 victory over Marie-Gayanay Mikaelian of Switzerland. Venus, who won the women's title in 2000 and 2001 but has been runner-up to her sister Serena in each of the last two finals, used her heavy serve to dominate her 20-year-old opponent, ranked 106 in the world.