A nagging wrist injury couldn’t stop Canadian Frank Dancevic from pulling off one of the biggest wins of his career.
The 23-year-old from Niagara Falls, Ont., upset No. 7 seed David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in the first round at Wimbledon yesterday.
Just two weeks ago, Dancevic wasn’t sure he’d even be able to play in the tournament after his ailing wrist forced him to withdraw from a tune-up event at Queen’s Club.
“With my wrist and having to pull from Queen’s this is just great,” said Dancevic. “Honestly, I was happy just to be able to play here. This is a really big win for me and I’m so excited.”
Nalbandian, who had never lost in the first or second round in five previous trips to Wimbledon, said after the loss that he was injured, but refused to elaborate.
Dancevic, ranked 95th in the world, will play 106th-ranked American Bobby Reynolds in the second round.
The rest of the opening day at the All England Club went as expected. Men’s top seed Roger Federer, American Serena Williams and new women’s No. 1 Ana Ivanovic won in straight sets. Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic also eased into the second round.
