If Petra Kvitova had tuned into the rumblings that her first round meeting with Sorana Cirstea could be a danger match, the two-time Wimbledon champion was determined to dispel them.
And swiftly. The Czech took just 52 minutes to claim a 6-0, 6-4 win over the Romanian, her powerful efficiency most devastating in the 15-minute first set.
That Kvitova was in such a hurry was understandable. The wait to take to court extended for almost four hours due to rain, the players finally stepping onto the turf just before 5pm.
“I did have a warm-up twice today. It was fine,” said Kvitova, who spent that time with Belinda Bencic and Johanna Konta watching Agnieszka Radwanska compete on Centre Court.
“I'm kind of the person who just takes it how it is, so I wasn't really nervous about the rain delay. We were just lying in the locker room, having fun with the girls. Sometimes it's good to catch up when you can't play.”
In 2016, that relaxed outlook is important for Kvitova, the 2011 and 2014 champion having dropped out of the top 10 in a frustrating season in which she has so far advanced past the quarter-finals of only two events.
But this is the venue where Kvitova is traditionally at her best, and on this occasion that was certainly true, the Czech executing her most powerful and decisive tennis. She hit 20 winners to only eight unforced errors and was further helped by seven aces.
“Every match is different. Of course, I'm kind of glad how I played, how else everything looked today on the court,” she said.
Cirstea – who only recently returned from a shoulder injury that required a significantly altered service motion – was limited to only eight winners against 15 unforced errors and while there was undoubtedly encouragement to be gleaned from a more competitive second set, she simply had no time to find her rhythm.
For Kvitova, the dominance came naturally, but also with a degree of relief. “I really never know what's happening on the court,” she explained of the speedy nature of her victory. “I’m glad how I played today, how my serve worked today. I think she wasn't a really easy opponent on the grass to play first round.”
With the potentially awkward match smoothly navigated, Kvitova has another pleasant memory to add to the many she has amassed at SW19. Asked to explain when she learned that she could achieve her most significant results at Wimbledon, the Czech’s recollections were vivid.
“I remember many people told me I can play on the grass,” she said. “The moment when I find out was I think 2010 when I played [the] semi-final against Serena. In the quarter-finals, my opponent Kaia Kanepi had three match points or four. I was somehow able to still do it, play good match with Serena. "That was probably the time I realised I can play well here.”
It’s hardly surprising that Kvitova’s parents have made a tradition of watching their daughter compete at Wimbledon, Jiri and Pavla among the many dedicated supporters who braved the damp and chilly conditions.
“They are almost every year here,” said Kvitova, who meets either Ekaterina Makerova or Johanna Larsson in the second round. “They love it.”
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Always special to have my parents here with me in SW19. And my dad is smiling instead of crying this time pic.twitter.com/kme0DblPM3
— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) June 27, 2016