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Wimbledon, England • Roger Federer gave Prince Charles a bow, then gave Fabio Fognini a royal thumping.

With the Prince of Wales visiting Wimbledon for the first time since 1970, Federer was at his best Wednesday and beat Fognini 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.

Federer, a six-time winner at the All England Club, won 37 of 41 points on his first serve and 21 of 23 points at the net against Fognini, an Italian ranked 68th.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall sat in the first row of the Royal Box as Federer walked onto Centre Court for the day's first match. He and Fognini stood side by side as they bowed awkwardly toward the royals, and Charles responded with a wave and grin.

"They do brief you beforehand," Federer said. "I guess you don't do anything stupid. You behave. Obviously we were asked to bow, which is obviously no problem to do. We're thrilled for the tennis family that they came to watch Wimbledon today."

When Federer completed his victory, Charles and Camilla joined the crowd's applause. He visited with the royal couple afterward for several minutes, talking about tennis, polo and Federer's young twin daughters.

"They were very nice, very sweet and thought I played great," Federer said, "which was very nice to get some compliments after the match, which was unnecessary, but of course I do appreciate it."

Seeded third, Federer hopes to end his 2½-year drought in major tournaments, and he's off to a good start, losing only nine games through two rounds. He seeks to add to his record total of 16 Grand Slam championships, and he could match the record of seven Wimbledon men's titles set by William Renshaw in the 1880s and tied by Pete Sampras in 2000.

"I'm just happy overall with how I'm playing," Federer said. "I'm serving well when I have to. I'm moving well. I feel like my forehand and backhand are working well. All of a sudden you win quite comfortably, but you have to focus until the very last point, and I'm happy as well with my concentration level."

Shortly after Federer's victory, rain interrupted play and the retractable roof on Centre Court was closed for the first time in the tournament. Former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki lost under the cover to Tamira Paszek, who saved two match points in the second set and won 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-4. —

Wimbledon

P Thursday, 5 a.m., ESPN2