The five-times champion had made his own effort to look good, arriving on court in a eye-popping new all-white warm-up ensemble of military jacket and long flannels. On an afternoon when the dull light drained the color from the banks of spectators he may have been a little overdressed but he certainly stood out against the rich green of a virgin court. They spend millions of pounds on a sliding roof for the Centre Court, the sky darkens throughout the opening match until it seems certain that rain must fall before Roger Federer has polished off Lu Yen-hsun, and then the weather god – the one who so often brings “aahhs of shaahhs” to Wimbledon – decides to stay his hand. Federer paid tribute to his opponent – “I knew the danger today – he’s beaten good players in the past” – and sympathized with Nadal’s lost chance to experience the feeling of being the defending champion on opening day. “That first moment, walking out, warming up for the first time here at Wimbledon, sometimes is not an easy thing to do,” he said. “You want to get off to a good start, get it out of the way, find your way into the tournament. But it’s what you dream about.”