NOVAK DJOKOVIC ON FACING JACOB FEARNLEY: ‘YOU NEVER LIKE TO PLAY BRITISH PLAYERS AT WIMBLEDON’
Although his two-hour turn-out eventually resembled a routine win, Novak Djokovic was relieved to set up a second-round tie against Jacob Fearnley.
Not long after a triumphant Djokovic had paid tribute to Andy Murray at the side of Centre Court, another Scot, the 22-year-old Fearnley, booked a date with the 24-time grand slam champion by ousting Alejandro Moro Canas. Needless to say, Djokovic is less familiar with his next opponent.
“I don’t really know about him,” the Serbian second seed admitted of Fearnley, a wildcard with a world ranking of 277. “I will definitely analyse his match. Being British, he will have the crowd. You never like to play British at Wimbledon.”
“It’s going to be a little intimidating,” Fearnley said later. “But it’s super-exciting, the biggest match of my career.”
Djokovic’s first round match on Tuesday afternoon had been a different step into the unknown. It amounted to an assessment of his right knee, on which he had meniscus surgery just three weeks ago, following the French Open, and was supported by grey tubing. In truth, Vit Kopriva was dismissed easily, despite Djokovic describing his early shots as deliberately “cautious”.
With snooker genius Ronnie O’Sullivan, labelled as “a nice guy and very funny”, among his entourage, and rockstar Dave Grohl in the Royal Box, Djokovic used his serve as a crutch. Kopriva, the world number 123 from Czechoslovakia, could only muster four points off it over the first two sets.
Djokovic received a decent workout, chiefly because of his own inability to bury break opportunities. The fourth game of the match was a marathon, featuring glimpses of class from the seven-time Wimbledon champion – a deft drop-volley and a backhand down the line with an open stance – yet also tentative movement.
Kopriva could not capitalise on the latter and succumbed 6-1 in the first set, with Djokovic unfurling a beautiful forehand down the line on the first point of the second. The crowd emitted a collective purr.
Two games later, Djokovic stooped to his right and slid along the baseline in a long rally. When the 37-year-old prevailed, he boomed a cheer and pumped his fist. A break there helped secure the set 6-2.
Twice taking the Djokovic serve to 30-all, Kopriva summoned some defiance at the beginning of the third. But Djokovic broke at 2-2 and did not look back, lifting a lovely half-volley backhand winner in the last game and finishing with a seventh ace.
His bid to avenge defeat in last year’s final, one suspects, hinges upon whether his knee continues to strengthen throughout the fortnight. Like Murray, whom he backed for a place in the 2025 singles draw, Djokovic is accustomed to extraordinary shows of resilience.
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Day two at Wimbledon: As it happened . . .
05:11 PM BST
Djokovic 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 Kopriva*
Djokovic is bringing out his full repertoire here. Another deft touch at the net makes it 30-15. An ace gives him two match points.
And he seals it with an ace. GAME SET MATCH DJOKOVIC!
05:08 PM BST
Djokovic* 6-1, 6-2, 5-2 Kopriva
Kopriva backhand into the tramlines on break point and Djokovic will serve for the match next up.
05:01 PM BST
Djokovic 6-1, 6-2, 4-2 Kopriva*
Classy touch by Djokovic to hold with a deft backhand volley. He’s two games from victory.
04:57 PM BST
Djokovic* 6-1, 6-2, 3-2 Kopriva
Danger for Kopriva after he whips a forehand long, 15-30. Djokovic chases down a drop shot and whips a forehand deep and Kopriva’s response flies long. Two break points.
And Djokovic takes them, forcing Kopriva into an error and earning the break. This match is done I think.
04:53 PM BST
Djokovic 6-1, 6-2, 2-2 Kopriva*
Compared to the majority of his service games, this has been a loose one by Djokovic. He’s pushed to 30-30 and closes out comfortably but he won’t want to give his opponent any encouragement.
04:51 PM BST
‘Impressively resilient’
Clearly, Novak Djokovic is no ordinary athlete, but for a 37-year-old to have undergone meniscus surgery just three weeks ago and for him to be at Wimbledon cruising towards the second round… this feels impressively resilient. I suppose his challenge for an eighth Wimbledon title will come down to whether his knee strengthens over the fortnight ahead – because sterner challenges await.
04:47 PM BST
Djokovic* 6-1, 6-2, 1-2 Kopriva
Another confident service hold by Kopriva. He is starting to build belief but the danger of Djokovic’s return looms large.
04:45 PM BST
Djokovic 6-1, 6-2, 1-1 Kopriva*
Another drop shot winner by Kopriva, 15-15. He is learning! He catches out Djokovic at the net with a backhand pass, 30-30.
First bit of pressure by Kopriva on the Djokovic serve but the Serbian sees it off to level the set.
Back and forth between Djokovic and his support box at the end of the game. He’s not happy about something.
04:38 PM BST
Third Set: Djokovic* 6-1, 6-2, 0-1 Kopriva (*denotes next server)
Lovely drop shot by Kopriva to hold. Djokovic starts to run after it but decides against it. Need to see more of that from Kopriva.
He has to get Djokovic to run more. But that it much easier said than done from my seat on Centre.
04:31 PM BST
Djokovic 6-1, 6-2 Kopriva*
Kopriva tries to rally the crowd onto his side after he does well to stay in the rally and hits a drop shot which is too good for Djokovic, 30-15.
Djokovic brings up two set points with a volley winner. One goes by after hitting his first double fault of the match. Nerves?
No. He gets it done next time around when Kopriva puts a backhand return long.
04:27 PM BST
Djokovic* 6-1, 5-2 Kopriva
Kopriva may have thought he was on track for another game here but the game shifts from 40-15 to deuce after a double fault.
Back-to-back brilliant backhands give Djokovic another break point. And he duly takes it when Kopriva nets a forehand.
Djokovic will serve for the set next!
04:21 PM BST
Djokovic 6-1, 4-2 Kopriva*
Still no joy for Kopriva on the Djokovic serve. Djokovic has played 32 service points and Kopriva has won just two of them.
That is not the recipe for success.
04:17 PM BST
Djokovic* 6-1, 2-3 Kopriva
Credit to Kopriva, he holds to 30 to keep in touch with Djokovic. A mountain still to climb but he can be pleased with how he has competed so far.
04:13 PM BST
Djokovic 6-1, 3-1 Kopriva*
Serving masterclass by Djokovic continues as he holds to love again to consolidate the break.
04:10 PM BST
Djokovic* 6-1, 2-1 Kopriva
Shot of the day by Kopriva as he defends well against Djokovic, he attacks the Serb’s right side, gets a short ball and finishes with a forehand winner, 30-15.
Kopriva cross court backhand goes wide, deuce. Patient play by Djokovic to drag his man, left and right, change up the angles and force error. Break point for Djokovic is saved again by Kopriva.
Kopriva forehand long after being rushed by a deep Djokovic return means it is another break point.
Roar from Djokovic as he takes it. One of the longest rallies of the match and it is Kopriva who cracks first, sending a forehand long.
04:03 PM BST
‘Djokovic’s serve remains a big plus’
This match is essentially a physical assessment for Djojovic and Kopriva is giving him a decent run at times.
The former unfurled a gorgeous, down-the-line forehand on the run to begin the second set, drawing a collective purr from Centre Court, but he has now spurned seven break points in all.
That will be frustrating, although his serve remains a big plus. Kopriva has won two of 22 points there.
04:00 PM BST
Djokovic 6-1, 1-1 Kopriva*
Djokovic continues to clean the lines with his accurate serving. Kopriva is struggling to pick out where the ball is going.
Kopriva wins just his second point on the Djokovic serve as he races to meet a drop shot and flicks a forehand winner down the line, 40-15.
Djokovic forehand winner to hold. He is all business today.
03:57 PM BST
Second Set: Djokovic* 6-1, 0-1 Kopriva (*denotes next server)
Biggest match of Kopriva’s life and it is starting to unravel for him. Djokovic is in one of those moods where he gives his opponent nothing for free.
A backhand long by Kopriva gives Djokovic another break point opportunity. Saved by Kopriva after an unreturned serve down the T. Timely!
He saves another break point when Djokovic’s forehand goes long after running to his right. Big cheers for Kopriva as he ends a run of five games against him to hold.
03:47 PM BST
Djokovic 6-1 Kopriva*
Just one point dropped by Djokovic on his serve in his set as he holds to love to take it easily.
03:46 PM BST
Djokovic* 5-1 Kopriva
Djokovic’s class is beginning to tell. He eases to 0-40 on the Kopriva serve and breaks when the Czech nets a forehand on the run.
Given his physical limitations, I think Djokovic is being extra aggressive. He doesn’t want to wast any minute here. Get on and off as quickly as possible.
03:41 PM BST
Djokovic 4-1 Kopriva*
Love hold for Djokovic to consolidate the break.
03:39 PM BST
Djokovic* 3-1 Kopriva
Lovely drop shot by Kopriva to save a break point as Djokovic threatened to break. That is the type of point which will test Djokovic’s knee and willingness to chase things down.
Djokovic gets a second look at a break when he rifles a forehand winner down the line. But it is saved again by Kopriva with a backhand winner of his own.
Vintage Djokovic as he slides open stance to his left and places a backhand winner beautifully down the line. Kopriva did nothing wrong and is still facing a break point. However, once again the opportunity is squandered by Djokovic.
Desperate defensive backhand by Kopriva is long, fourth break chance for Djokovic. Djokovic runs gingerly to his right and slices a forehand long.
Fifth break point of the game for Djokovic arrives after a Kopriva error. Deuce once more after Djokovic’s forehand floats long. Gorgeous drop shot by Djokovic is a winner, sixth time lucky?
Yes he is. Kopriva slices a backhand into the net and drops serve. Djokovic’s effort are finally rewarded.
03:29 PM BST
‘Outbreak of rain is unfortunate timing for Jubb’
The outbreak of rain is unfortunate timing for Paul Jubb, who had battled back impressively on Court 14 from an advantage down to hold on to serve against Thiago Seyboth Wild.
The young Briton, who raced into a two set lead, was finding momentum again in the fourth set after dropping the third.
03:28 PM BST
Wimbledon champion beaten by player who has never won on grass before
Defending Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova suffered a shock first-round defeat after being stunned by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Centre Court.
In one of the biggest upsets at Wimbledon in recent memory, the Czech No 6 seed, who memorably won her first Grand Slam last year at SW19, crashed out after being beaten 6-4, 6-2 by Maneiro, a player ranked 83rd in the world who had never won a game on grass.
It means Vondrousova is the first defending champion in 30 years to lose in the first round of Wimbledon.
Read more here.
03:24 PM BST
Djokovic 2-1 Kopriva*
Ronnie O’Sullivan is in Djokovic’s support box and he joins the applause as the Serbian holds to 15.
03:19 PM BST
Djokovic* 1-1 Kopriva
Losing the opening game to love without getting the ball back into play would have been a concern to Kopriva but credit to the Czech, he responds by going 40-0 up on his own serve.
A double fault makes it 40-30 which opens the door slightly for Djokovic. But Kopriva slams it shut when Djokovic’s forehand goes long to hold.
03:15 PM BST
First Set: Novak Djokovic 1-0 Vit Kopriva* (*denotes next server)
Djokovic gets the match starting with an ace down the T. Another ace down the T makes it 40-0. And another unreturable server seals the game.
I thought he wasn’t fully fit? At least his shoulders are in good working order!
03:15 PM BST
‘Djokovic doesn’t look too restricted’
Despite sporting a grey-coloured support on his right knee, Djovokic - who received a warm cheer when he walked out onto Centre Court just weeks after suffering a meniscus tear which curtailed his French Open - doesn’t look too restricted at the back of the court in his warm-up.
03:04 PM BST
Djokovic gets his Wimbledon campaign started
The seven-time champion and last year’s beaten finalist makes his 2024 bow as he plays Vit Kopriva of the Czech Republic.
After knee surgery last month, all eyes will be on how the Serbian looks and plays. He has made a super human recovery.
02:54 PM BST
Play is back underway outside
Jubb is a break down in the fourth set as Seymoth Wild continues his fight back. The Briton to weather this storm from the Brazilian.
02:48 PM BST
Breaking: Defending champion Vondrousova is OUT
Stunning victory for Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro as she beats last year’s winner Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.
Vondrousova had a knee problem coming into the match however this is the biggest shock of the tournament so far.
It is the first time a defending champion has lost in round one since Steffi Graf was beaten by Lori McNeil in 1994. It is also the first ever slam win for Bousas Maneiro.
02:44 PM BST
Play paused
Light drizzle has led to a stoppage in play on the outside court but a big story is brewing on Centre Court...
02:43 PM BST
2022 champion is safely through
02:35 PM BST
All smiles for the Murray brothers
02:29 PM BST
Seymoth Wild hits back against Jubb
Landmark moment in the career of Jubb will have to wait as his Brazilian opponent steals the tiebreak and forces a fourth set.
Jubb thought he had made it 7-7 when his backhand was called in. Seymoth Wild challenges and Hawkeye says the ball was out by the smallest margin you can imagine.
Jubb will need to reset and focus again. He’s been the better player today and just needs to rediscover his level from the first two sets.
02:20 PM BST
Jubb 6-1, 6-3, 6-6 Seyboth Wild
Tiebreak time on court Court 14 for the Briton. He’s had to save a set point before getting to this point.
Can he get the job done?
02:10 PM BST
‘Murray looked uncomfortable turning and chasing a lob’
Murray in good spirits on practice court No 1 with his brother Jamie. He looked uncomfortable turning and chasing a lob but has been hitting volleys freely and hitting forehands ferociously. Some signs of nagging pain on his backhand side.
01:59 PM BST
Murray spotted on Aorangi Park practising with his brother Jamie
01:51 PM BST
Jubb in control
The wildcard from York leads Seyboth Wild 6-1, 6-3 and it is level at 3-3 in the third.
He has never got past the first round at SW19 but he is very close now.
01:46 PM BST
Special moment for Vondrousova as she returns to Centre Court as a defending champion
01:42 PM BST
Andy Murray’s former coach pays tribute
01:37 PM BST
Dart seals victory with a bagel
All business from Dart has she brushes aside Bai 6-4, 6-0 on Court 18. She will be delighted to come through that after knee concerns coming into the match.
01:20 PM BST
Play resumes
One hour and 10 minutes after play was stopped, Dart is back on Court 18 and is three games from victory.
She leads Bai 6-4, 3-0.
01:10 PM BST
Wimbledon fan reaction
By Max Stephens
Bill Johnston, 65, a lecturer at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, who had planned to buy resale tickets for Andy Murray with his daughter Zoe at Wimbledon, said:
We have talked about this, we thought today might be really historic because we want to pay homage to maybe one of Britain’s greatest sportsmen. We have enjoyed his talents over the years, but hey he is looking after himself and hopefully we will get to see him in the doubles.
We got Court No 1 tickets but we had just joined the resale queue, so we had hoped, we had a plan, a strategy to see Andy but that’s not to be unfortunately, but we wish him well. We would like to see him in the doubles, just wish him all the best. I queued for five hours yesterday and I eventually made it into the courts at 4pm so this is my second day.
What are the words, It is just to pay respect to our greatest sportsman and recognise his amazing achievements, three Grand Slams that people would give a lot of money for, so well done Andy and if he signs out then good luck in the future. There is something about Andy’s legacy for anybody who is aspiring to be great in their sport or any area of work. I think he’s driven and I think he’s an inspiration.
His daughter Zoe Johnston, 28, an accountant and Lawn Tennis Association member, said she fully supported proposals to commemorate Murray’s legacy with a permanent statue at Wimbledon.
My sister is at work but she will be queueing every evening to see Andy and Jamie. She’s probably his [Andy’s] biggest fan.
01:02 PM BST
Weather update - part 2
The Wimbledon officials clearly know better than me because the covers are now off on the outside courts and the nets are being stood up so play is set to resume very soon I imagine.
Under the roof of Court 1, 2022 champion Elena Rybakina is about to take to the court to play Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania.
12:46 PM BST
Weather update
The rain stopped for around 15 minutes but it has now restarted. No play is expected before 1pm but I think that time will be shifted very soon.
12:38 PM BST
Danielle Collins on Wimbledon, retirement and what she will not miss about tennis
By Molly McElwee
There is one thing in particular that American tennis player Danielle Collins will not miss when she retires this year. “The stalkers.”
Collins made this revelation in passing during a recent appearance on Andy Roddick’s ‘Served’ podcast. But was she serious?
“I’m serious,” Collins tells Telegraph Sport. “I don’t think it’s something that gets talked about a ton, but many of us have had security issues during our time playing on tour. I had a few different situations over the years. It’s never fun, the feeling of looking over your shoulder.”
Read Molly’s interview with Collins here.
12:26 PM BST
Just one winner so far today!
In the all-American battle on Court No 2, fifth seed Jessica Pegula stormed past Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 6-0 in just 49 minutes.
12:13 PM BST
Play suspended
The skies have been gloomy all morning and unsurprisingly the rain has started to fall.
Court attendants scurry on court and get the covers on quickly.
Super impressive work as always by the Wimbledon team.
12:06 PM BST
Amid all the Murray drama, there is some actual tennis taking place...
... and the Brits are fighting back.
After a disappointing Monday, Harriet Dart has taken the first set against Zhuoxuan Bai of China 6-4.
While Paul Jubb, who reached the semi-finals in Mallorca last week, is a set and a break up against Thiago Seyboth Wild of Brazil.
11:55 AM BST
‘Quicker than Usain Bolt over the first few steps’
Andy Murray remains unable to use his right leg as he would like. When performing sprints at Aorangi Park – the training courts adjacent to Wimbledon – on Sunday, he was clearly unbalanced, with one leg working far better than the other.
As a result, he was unable to keep up with his coach – the former doubles player Jonny O’Mara – when they raced each other over short distances. This was a long way from the man who, according to his former fitness trainer Jez Green, used to be quicker than Usain Bolt over the first few steps.
For more on Murray’s withdrawal, click here
11:44 AM BST
A very poignant image
11:31 AM BST
More from John Lloyd
On Murray winning his first Wimbledon:
Imagine the pressure that was on him for years. It was ‘when are you going to win Wimbledon?’ There was all this pressure that was on him for years. He lost some finals and then finally did it. Then, there’s the relief and he went on to win a couple more.
It was an amazing effort. There was pressure on him from the British public but he loved it and grew with that. He knew what he wanted to achieve and was single-minded to do it.
Murray’s legacy for next generation:
For these players in the draw and coming up, to have him as a model… he was always very generous with his time, working out with these younger players, and they would have seen his work ethic and what it takes to be a champion and fed off that.
I don’t know what his plans are after this, but hopefully he’ll be around and can impart some of his knowledge. Just sitting him over dinner is inspiring.
11:19 AM BST
Former British No 1 John Lloyd reacts on BBC: ‘Andy’s the greatest athlete in British sport ever’
It’s something I wasn’t hoping to hear. I saw him practising a couple of days ago and he was moving OK. I though: ‘There’s a chance here’. I know he’d want to do it, but its; devastating news because it’s not the way he would have wanted to go out. He’d have loved to have given the British fans another look at him. For him to have played on Centre another time would have been special. Maybe he’ll do it in the doubles, but it’s very sad news for such a great, great player.
Absolutely, he will have tried everything possible with his team around him. We saw him practising and he looked OK but wasn’t really pushing himself to the limits. For Andy Murray, he’s not going to go out on court unless he thinks he can win the match. He obviously felt this was one step too far, so he decided to call it a day.
Hopefully [the doubles] will happen. It would be terrible if he didn’t play at all. Hopefully he’ll go out there and play even if he’s completely strapped up. And try to give it a go if at all possible.
Oh boy. When you think of the era that he was in, with [Rafael] Nadal, [Novak] Djokovic], [Roger] Federer, for him to have won three Slams, Olympic gold, Davis Cup… I remember just the courage, the fire, the will to will he’s had. You can’t teach that. We’re going to miss him. He’s the greatest athlete, in my opinion, in British sport, ever. I can’t believe it.”
11:14 AM BST
Murray statue at Wimbledon likely
A statue for Murray on the grounds of Wimbledon is all but certain - and plans are in place for other tributes to the two-time champion.
Sally Bolton, the AELTC CEO, suggests plans remain flexible but the club is keen to “work with” Murray, who ended a 77-year wait for a men’s champion in 2013.
There is already a full-length statue of Fred Perry as well as a bronze bust of Virginia Wade on the grounds. Dorothy Round, Angela Mortimer, Ann Jones and Kitty Godfree, who won the first of her two Wimbledon titles 100 years ago, are also recognised.
Murray confirmed last week that he is planning for Wimbledon and the Olympics to be the final events of his career. His appearances in the men’s doubles and singles this week remained subject to him passing a late fitness test on a back injury on Monday night. Bolton, however, says “we’ll be ready” to celebrate the 37-year-old’s career, and a statue somewhere in the grounds appears all-but-certain.
When asked whether a space was being saved for a Murray statue next to Perry’s statue outside Centre Court, Bolton said “you could argue that’s a bit of an obvious location”.
“I think as we reflect on the shape of these grounds, and we think about potential development over the road,” she said. The All England Club’s is pressing ahead with proposals to build 39 new tennis courts, including an 8,000-seater show court, on an adjoining former golf course it has acquired.
“We’ve got time to think about where any kind of physical celebration of Andy’s career might be,” Bolton added. “And, in any event, we would want to work with Andy on that. He really, understandably, is not ready to have those conversations just yet. So we will make sure we get this right, because this is for all time. You think about Fred Perry. That will be for an all-time statue. And so we want to make sure it’s right. We can take our time to do that.”
Bolton said: “We have got a variety of plans sitting waiting to deliver” when Murray does finally announce he is quitting. “We’ll be ready whenever that happens,” she added.
Liam Broady and John McEnroe have backed calls for a statue for Murray in recent weeks.
11:09 AM BST
Telegraph Sport broke the news on Murray
After Murray had surgery on a spinal cyst on June 20, our tennis correspondent Simon Briggs had the story first that his hopes of a singles farewell were all but over and his best chance of playing would be in the doubles.
Read his exclusive piece here.
11:03 AM BST
Tuesday’s order of play
Centre Court
1.30pm: Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (Spain) v (6) Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic), Vit Kopriva (Czech Republic) v (2) Novak Djokovic (Serbia), (28) Jack Draper (Britain) v Elias Ymer (Sweden)
Court 1
1pm: (4) Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) v Elena-Gabriela Ruse (Romania), Roberto Carballes Baena (Spain) v (4) Alexander Zverev (Germany), (1) Iga Swiatek (Poland) v Sofia Kenin (US)
Court 2
11am: Ashlyn Krueger (US) v (5) Jessica Pegula (US), (6) Andrey Rublev (Russia) v Francisco Comesana (Argentina), (17) Felix Auger-Aliassime (Can) vs Thanasi Kokkinakis (Aus), (10) Ons Jabeur (Tunisia) v Moyuka Uchijima (Japan)
You can find the rest of today’s schedule here.
10:59 AM BST
Classy statement from Wimbledon on Murray’s withdrawal
10:55 AM BST
Murray’s loss is Draper’s gain
With Murray now out of the singles and off today’s schedule, Wimbledon officials have bumped up Jack Draper from Court 2 to Centre.
He will be last on against Elias Ymer.
10:45 AM BST
Murray’s Wimbledon memories
10:38 AM BST
Who takes Murray’s place in the draw?
Belgium’s David Goffin is the lucky loser from qualifying who will take Murray’s place against Tomas Machac.
Goffin is a very experienced player, who reached world No 7 in 2017 but has struggled with injury in recent years.
He’s currently ranked 83rd in the world and reached the third round last year.
10:34 AM BST
Watch: Murray’s last point as a singles player at Wimbledon
10:30 AM BST
Social media reaction
10:23 AM BST
This will be Murray’s last Wimbledon
The statement confirms that Murray’s appearance in the doubles will be his last at SW19.
Always sad when great athletes can’t finish on their own terms due to injury.
The Murray brothers will face Australian duo John Peers and Rinky Hijikata later this week and it will almost certainly be on Centre Court.
10:15 AM BST
Breaking: Murray OUT of Wimbledon singles
Statement from Murray’s management team:
Unfortunately, despite working incredibly hard on his recovery since his operation just over a week ago, Andy has taken the very difficult decision not to play the singles this year. As you can imagine, he is extremely disappointed but has confirmed that he will be playing in the doubles with Jamie.
10:09 AM BST
Pick your favourite and let me know in the comments
09:58 AM BST
Murray on practice schedule
We have our first clue that Murray might be deciding to play today. He is currently scheduled to practice at 1pm.
Whether he turns up remains to be seen. Until then we continue to wait for his decision.
09:45 AM BST
Day two at Wimbledon
Good morning and welcome to coverage of day two at Wimbledon.
All eyes are on whether Andy Murray will decide to play singles this year. He is due last on Centre Court against Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic.
Murray practised against fellow Brit Kyle Edmund on Monday afternoon. While his movement was limited, he was able to win the practice set they played.
Telegraph Sport was told on Monday by one insider: “I think he might start the singles just to have one last match on Centre. Yes, he could get that from playing the doubles, but it’s not the same thing for a champion to share the court with so many. It all depends on whether he feels that he will get battered by Machac or can be respectable.”
Machac has a 2-0 head-to-head record against Murray but insists he is not taking anything for granted.
“Andy is a great fighter so I think if he steps on the court he will be 100 per cent ready to play a whole match,” said Machac. “You need to win three sets so if he is not ready he will not play. But if he is standing on the court he will go for the win.”
Elsewhere, Katie Boulter, Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans are all in action and hoping to reach the second round.
As is tradition at Wimbledon, defending women’s champion Marketa Vondrousova opens play on Centre Court at 1.30pm against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain.
She will then be followed by Novak Djokovic, who has made a miraculous recovery from knee surgery to be ready to face Vit Kopriva.
“Obviously once the tournament starts, I’ll have more I guess sensations and more feedback from how knee reacts to a best-of-five Grand Slam match,” Djokovic said. “So far everything that was done was very positive.”
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