Wimbledon: Nadal recovers from nasty fall

WIMBLEDON, England - Trying to switch directions while chasing a shot beneath the Royal Box at Wimbledon's Centre Court, Rafael Nadal lost his footing and took a nasty-looking spill, flinging his racket in the air while he fell.

The Spaniard was OK, even if he did land on his back behind the baseline and glanced overhead to make sure his equipment wasn't going to nail him in the noggin. Nadal toweled off and, four games later, wrapped up a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Japan's Kei Nishikori in the first round at the All England Club.

It was merely a coincidence, of course, that Nadal's third-set tumble Tuesday left him in nearly the same position, and in the same spot, that he found himself the last time he played a match at Wimbledon, almost two full years ago. Except on that occasion, he was dropping to the grass on purpose to celebrate beating Roger Federer in the 2008 final.

Nadal didn't defend that championship, withdrawing last year because of painful tendinitis in his knees. Now he's healthy, reinstated at No. 1 in the rankings, once again the reigning French Open champion - and back on what he called "probably the most beautiful and emblematic court in the world."

Said Nadal: "I'm happy to be here again."

Another past Wimbledon winner coming off an injury, Maria Sharapova, also played Tuesday, and also won convincingly, eliminating 127th-ranked Anastasia Pivovarova of Russia 6-1, 6-0 in only 54 minutes.

Joining her in the second round were defending champion Serena Williams, who pounded 15 aces in a 6-0, 6-4 victory over 17-year-old Michelle Larcher de Brito of Portugal to improve to 43-0 in first-round Grand Slam matches; two-time major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, who overcame 16 aces by Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan and won 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-4; and No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 7 Agnieszka Radwanska, No. 9 Li Na and No. 10 Flavia Pennetta.

But No. 6 Samantha Stosur, the runner-up at the French Open a little more than two weeks ago, lost to 80th-ranked qualifier Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-4, 6-4. The woman who beat Stosur at Roland Garros, first-time major champion Francesca Schiavone, bowed out of Wimbledon on Monday.

The only other seeded woman w

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