There is something somewhat regal about watching Roger Federer in the early rounds. Effortless is one of the words that is often bandied about with reckless abandon. He certainly made it look that way as he took to the court against Damir Dzumhur.

Here is the thing. No matter what the arena, the court is the same size, and the net is in the same place. But there must be something about facing a player who has, over the years, made this court his own that gives the opposition pause for thought.

There were the odd moments where the young pup put the old dog through his paces, but experience is everything in these circumstances as Federer steamed through a straight-sets win, 6-1 6-3 6-3, in just 68 minutes. Let us not rule out the effect of the court and the fans who always manage to gain the prime real estate on the Centre Court to follow their man.

Federer was at least pleased to file away the first win in his quest for an eighth Wimbledon title with some ease, and he described his views on the whole experience of playing in that arena after his win.

He said, “I'm aware of it. But I think it's also his first time on Centre Court.  I'm sure in some crazy way he's also enjoying himself and can look back and say I played on Centre. It's where you want to play. So I'm more focused on what I'm trying to do and trying to win the match.

 “Back in the day, maybe I would not be as ruthless as today. But now it's trying to focus on what I need to do. The score, it is what it is. I don't think it really matters at the end of the day what the score-line is. For me, it's about playing the tournament, the ball that's coming from my opponent.”

If he is going to win another Grand Slam, it will be here, but he may face stiff opposition from the man who followed him onto the court – Andy Murray. Perhaps playing more consistently than he was for his famous win in 2013, there was still a customary diversion to a more scenic route that caused his fans to be all of a flutter.

Murray battled against Mikhail Kukushkin but still prevailed in straight sets, despite the Twitter anguish that follows his matches. Not that he would admit to the same kind of nerves his rollercoaster matches tend to bring out.

He said, “I didn't necessarily feel nervy. I lost my serve a bit in the end of that second set.  There was a period where I missed like 10 or 12 first serves in a row and let him back into it there.

“Then he played some really good stuff at times and was going for his shots. When it was on the run, he was taking the ball up the line, going very hard and flat. I found it difficult to play aggressive tennis out there. I was glad to get through in straight sets.”

Out on Court No. 1, Rafael Nadal also progressed past Thomaz Bellucci in straight sets 6-4 6-2 6-4. There was no mistaking the relief at a decent enough win for him, and in a strange way, perhaps Nadal will fly under the radar as the No. 10 seed for a few rounds.

He certainly felt there were grounds to improve, saying, “I think I played solid. Very good with my backhand today. With my forehand, always okay. But I think I can do it better. I can play more winners down the line than what I did today.

“I am a little bit more confident now than I was few months ago. Just day by day for me. Obviously victories helps. Last two months, let's say, I am playing much more solid almost every tournament.”

And so we come back around to the second round, with Novak Djokovic back in command on Centre Court on Wednesday, with play commencing at 1pm BST.