Andy Murray headlines today’s Wimbledon action when he begins his men’s doubles quest alongside brother Jamie in a busy day four schedule at the championships.
Scheduled to play the final match on Centre Court today, Murray begins his Wimbledon swan song following surgery to remove a spinal cyst last month. He pulled out of the men’s singles on Tuesday preferring instead to focus on the doubles where he will also feature alongside Emma Raducanu in the mixed event. The Murrays take on Australian pair Rinky Hijikata and John Peers, while five other British players feature across the two main show courts.
British wildcard Jacob Fearnley will have his moment on Centre Court, too, taking on Novak Djokovic first up. While Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart go toe-to-toe in an all-British second round clash in the women’s singles and Jack Draper’s reward for winning a thriller against Elias Ymer is a second round tie versus against former British No 1 and Wimbledon semi-finalist Cameron Norrie.
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Today at Wimbledon: Brit watch
Jacob Fearnley’s reward for his impressive win on his Wimbledon debut is a Centre Court date with 24-time grand-slam champion Novak Djokovic.
He will be the sixth British player to face Djokovic at the Championships, with Andy Murray the only one to beat him.
But he could take some inspiration from the fact Norrie, Draper and Kyle Edmund all took a set off the Serbian before losing.
Lily Miyazaki, who was scheduled to play on Wednesday, will hope to finally get her second-round clash with 14th seed Daria Kasatkina under way.
Lawrence Ostlere4 July 2024 11:47
Today at Wimbledon: Battle of the Brits part two
Following that match, it is the men’s turn as Jack Draper, the British No 1, faces the man he replaced at the top of the country’s rankings last month, Cameron Norrie.
Draper has never reached the third round in his two previous appearances at his home grand slam while Norrie was a semi-finalist in 2022 but came into this year’s tournament out of form.
The pair get on well together but Draper says Norrie “won’t like the fact that I’m No 1”, while the British No 2 – who has won both of the meetings between them – has piled the pressure on his younger opponent by labelling him the favourite.
Lawrence Ostlere4 July 2024 11:35
Today at Wimbledon: Battle of the Brits part one
Britain’s No 1 takes on Britain’s No 2 as Katie Boulter meets Harriet Dart in the opening match on Court One.
This is the pair’s fourth meeting in the last two years, with Boulter winning the previous three – two of them coming on grass in Nottingham.
Dart’s only victory over her rival came six years ago in Japan but Boulter expects Thursday’s clash to be a big challenge.
She said: “Playing a Brit in the UK on the grass is never an easy draw and I’m expecting an absolute battle. I think we both know each other’s games inside-out, back-to-front at this point. We’ve played so many matches.”
Lawrence Ostlere4 July 2024 11:23
Today at Wimbledon: Match of the day
Doubles usually keeps a low profile during the first week of Wimbledon, but on Thursday it takes the main event slot.
Andy Murray, in what he says is his final Wimbledon campaign, teams up with brother Jamie Murray at a grand slam for the first time.
The pair won every Davis Cup doubles match they played together, including the quarter-final, semi-final and final of Great Britain’s memorable success in 2015.
They will be up against it in their clash with Australian duo Rinky Hijikata and John Peers, but the pair can expect to be backed by a frenzied Centre Court crowd as Andy’s Wimbledon career winds down.
Lawrence Ostlere4 July 2024 11:11
Today at Wimbledon
Andy Murray will take to the court after Britain’s next generation have battled for supremacy on a highly anticipated day at Wimbledon.
Murray and his brother Jamie start their doubles campaign in what promises to be an emotional evening on Centre Court.
Before that, Britain’s top-two ranked singles players in both the men’s and women’s game go head-to-head for a place in the third round while debutant Jacob Fearnley will meet seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.
Lawrence Ostlere4 July 2024 11:02
If Jannik Sinner is going to win Wimbledon, he must do it the hard way
If Jannik Sinner is going to win Wimbledon, he is going to have to do it the hard way. That much is already clear. Some might suggest there is no easy way to go the distance at the All England Club, but there are surely easier ways to win than this.
Alcaraz, 21, has impressed with two straight-sets wins, while Sinner, 22, has only touched his best tennis in fleeting passages of play. It was the case for Sinner on Monday, and it was the case on Wednesday, though admittedly against an intriguing opponent. To Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini is a friend and compatriot; to everyone else, he is a former Wimbledon finalist.
Lawrence Ostlere4 July 2024 10:49
Emma Raducanu and British players prioritising Wimbledon over going to vote
Emma Raducanu revealed she did not know the general election was happening on Thursday and admitted she will be focusing her tennis over going to vote.
Speaking after her win, Raducanu was asked if she would vote before heading to practise on Thursday to which she replied: “No. I think I’ll have a lie-in, then I’ll come to practise.
“I didn’t even know it was tomorrow, to be honest! Thanks for letting me know.”
Lawrence Ostlere4 July 2024 10:35
The Carlos Alcaraz habit that can help deliver another Wimbledon crown
Carlos Alcaraz turned to his box, clenching his fist in delight with that familiar intensity. This remains relatively new ground for the Wimbledon champion, who is still just 21, but after improving his record on grass to 19-3, this straight-sets victory (7-6, 6-2, 6-3) over Aleksandar Vukic appeared ordinary. Yet a closer inspection revealed a crucial habit that could enable the Spaniard to defend his title and move to four career grand slams.
A defiant Novak Djokovic, gritting his teeth through the lingering effects of surgery, and the world No 1, Jannik Sinner, pose obvious threats to this promising title defence. And his blossoming rivalry with the Italian appears well-balanced on the surface, with the head-to-head currently standing at 5-4 in the Spaniard’s favour. Wimbledon, too, appears to be sitting on the fence after flipping both contenders on that side of the draw from Centre to No 1 Court between their first and second-round matches.
Lawrence Ostlere4 July 2024 10:22
Yesterday at Wimbledon: Ruud falls in four sets to Fognini
Rain delayed the start of play on the outer courts for a little over two hours in the morning and Ruud became an early victim when the action resumed as the three-times Grand Slam runner-up fell 6-4 7-5 6-7(1) 6-3 to Italian Fabio Fognini.
“I’m disappointed that I lost but I know my abilities on this surface and I’m trying to be realistic,” said Ruud, whose best results have come on claycourts and hardcourts.
“I just find it difficult. I find it fun as a challenge and I try my best every year. I haven’t given up on it yet but it’s really difficult for me somehow, the movement and feeling confident out there.”
Fognini’s fellow Italian and French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini came through a tight first set to down Greet Minnen 7-6(5) 6-2.
Lawrence Ostlere4 July 2024 10:07
Yesterday at Wimbledon: Emma Raducanu cruises past Elise Mertens
Wild card Emma Raducanu showed her the way with a 6-1 6-2 win over Elise Mertens but it was the end of the road for fellow former U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka who was beaten 6-4 6-1 by American 19th seed Emma Navarro.
Raducanu will also be in mixed doubles action this year after organisers awarded her and fellow British major singles champion Andy Murray a wildcard.
Lawrence Ostlere4 July 2024 09:55