Dinara Safina of Russia in action against Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain at Wimbledon on Tuesday. (Reuters)

Wimbledon: Five-time champion Venus Williams recovered from an early stumble in her opening match at Wimbledon on Tuesday to beat Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland 6-3, 6-2. It was Williams’ first appearance on Centre Court since the 2008 final, when she beat sister Serena for her second Wimbledon title in a row.

“I really enjoyed being out there,” Venus said. “It’s a special moment when you walk back as defending champion on that court.”

Venus slipped five points into the match, one of several wobbly moments as she began her bid for a three-peat. She double-faulted in the opening game and had to erase two break points. She was passed the first two times she reached the net. She slipped and nearly fell a second time.

“It’s grass,” she said. “You’re going to slip sometimes.”

Williams found her footing, winning 14 consecutive points to help take a 5-1 lead. She had another spurt in the second set after losing her serve for 2-all, and swept the final four games.

“Having won this title multiple times, you get that sense of what it takes to win,” she said. “And I definitely have a good grip on that — what it takes to win this title.”

Two-time runner-up Andy Roddick followed Williams onto Centre Court and beat Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-3. Roddick, seeded sixth, had only nine unforced errors and hit 46 winners, including 20 aces.

The new retractable roof again worked well, keeping rain away for a second successive day. Play took place on a cloudless afternoon, prompting an official on the club’s public-address system to urge that fans use sun block. “It looks really nice, the roof,” Williams said. “We haven’t had to use it yet. It’s kind of ironic. But I’m very sure it will get some use.”

Top-ranked Dinara Safina opened another bid for her first Grand Slam title by beating Lourdes Dominguez Lino 7-5, 6-3. Former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic beat Julia Goerges 6-4, 7-6 (7-0).

Kimiko Date Krumm, a 38-year-old wild card who came out of retirement last year, lost in her first Wimbledon match since 1996 to No. 9-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1. Date Krumm had reached a career high of four when she was a regular on the tour.

Disappointment has a way of following Jelena Dokic around the world and after having to deal with injury woes and the news her father had been jailed over the past month, she was struck by illness. The Yugoslav-born Australian’s return to Wimbledon following a five-year absence ended in heartache, a dizzy spell effectively wrecking her day as she slumped to a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 defeat by Germany’s Tatjana Malek.

“Every time he (Damir Dokic) does something, I just don’t think it’s necessary for me to answer questions regarding that because it really has nothing to do with me,” said the 26-year-old after the match. She has cut all ties from her domineering father after being subjected to years of physical and mental abuse.

On the men’s side, No. 5-seeded Juan Martin del Potro never faced a break point and swept Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-1, 6-2. No. 12 Nikolay Davydenko beat Daniel Evans 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. (Agencies)