Andy Murray will play Tomas Machac in the first round of Wimbledon, should the two-time champion be fit enough to take part in what is expected to be his final tournament at SW19. Murray took his place in the singles draw despite admitting he may not be ready to compete after undergoing an operation on his spine, and there may be updates on his condition at the tournament’s media day this afternoon.
Emma Raducanu will play 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round as the former US Open champion returns to SW19 after missing last year due to injury. Katie Boulter, seeded for the first time, opens against Tatjana Maria and could play Harriet Dart in round two. Likewise, British No 1 Jack Draper opens against qualifier Elias Ymer and would face fellow Brit Cameron Norrie in round two if both men win their opening match.
The build-up to Wimbledon continues as women’s No 1 Iga Swiatek and men’s No 1 Jannik Sinner discuss their chances, with Marketa Vondrousova and Carlos Alcaraz the defending champions of the singles titles. Novak Djokovic is seeded second as the 37-year-old attempts to win Wimbledon for a record eighth time following a five-set defeat to Alcaraz in a thrilling men’s final last year.
Follow all the latest build-up to Wimbledon in today’s live blog
Wimbledon 2024 news and latest build-up
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Wimbledon build-up continues with tournament media days
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Andy Murray set to give injury update ahead of final Wimbledon
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Murray drawn to face Tomas Machac in opening round on Tuesday
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The 37-year-old also has a wildcard with brother Jamie for doubles
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Emma Raducanu returns to Wimbledon ahead of facing Tatjana Maria
Wimbledon order of play and Monday’s schedule
11:00 , Jamie Braidwood
Emma Raducanu returns to Wimbledon as defending men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz opens play on the first day of the Championships on Monday.
Raducanu missed last year’s Wimbledon after undergoing surgery on both wrists and an ankle but has showed glimpses of form this grass-court season, including the first top-10 win of her career against Jessica Pegula at Eastbourne.
The former US Open champion has taken a wildcard ahead of her first Wimbledon match in two years and meets Russian 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round. Alexandrova reached the Wimbledon fourth round last year and could be a tough opponent.
Elsewhere, Alcaraz will open play on Centre Court against qualifier Mark Lajal, the World 262. Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic to win his first Wimbledon title last year and has since added a third grand slam of his career at the French Open last month.
Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka are among the other stars involved on the first Monday of the tournament, while British wildcard Charles Broom has landed a big-name opponent against three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka.
Here’s Monday’s order of play and schedule ahead of Wimbledon
Wimbledon order of play and Monday’s schedule
Andy Murray to face Tomas Machac in Wimbledon first round
10:30 , Jamie Braidwood
Andy Murray will play Tomas Machac in the first round of Wimbledon, should the two-time champion be fit enough to take part in what is expected to be his final Championships. Murray took his place in the singles draw despite admitting he may not be ready to compete after undergoing an operation on his spine.
Should Murray decide to play, he will face the 23-year-old Czech Machac for the third time this year. Machac, ranked 38 in the world, won both meetings, including an epic in Miami that was notable for Murray rupturing ankle ligaments late in the third set. Importantly for Murray, his match would be on Tuesday, which could give the 37-year-old an extra day to win his fitness race.
Iga Swiatek to face Sofia Kenin in opening round
10:00 , Jamie Braidwood
Iga Swiatek will be in action on Tuesday, with the World No 1 facing Sofia Kenin in one of the picks of the opening round.
Swiatek faced Kenin in the French Open final in 2020, where the Polish player won her first grand slam title. Kenin is a former Australian Open champion, who has fallen down the rankings due to injury.
It’s a difficult draw for Swiatek, who arrives at Wimbledon having won her third French Open in a row but without ever showing the same dominance on grass.
Swiatek could face British player Fran Jones in round two, but things get tougher from there as defending champion Marketa Vondrousova and former winner Elena Rybakina are in her section.
Carlos Alcaraz to open play on Centre Court on Monday
09:30 , Jamie Braidwood
Carlos Alcaraz will open play on Centre Court against qualifier Mark Lajal on Monday. The defending champion will be first up, as it tradition, and has landed in the same half of the draw as top seed Jannik Sinner.
Sinner could face former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini in round two in what would be a sensational clash for the Italians.
Novak Djokovic set for record Wimbledon bid
09:00 , Jamie Braidwood
Novak Djokovic will get his bid for an eighth Wimbledon title underway against Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva.
It’s a favourable draw for Djokovic, who comes into Wimbledon having appeared to have recovered from knee surgery.
When asked about his chances this week, Djokovic said: “I didn’t come here to play a few rounds.
“If I know I can play close to my maximum or at maximum, then I’ll play. If not, then I’ll give somebody else a chance to play.
“I really will only play if I know I am in a state which is good enough to go far in the tournament and fight for the title, so that’s the condition.
“Rehab is going in the right direction every single day, a few per cent better and better. That’s what’s giving me hope and encouragement to keep going.
“I’m taking things gradually. I’m not pushing myself yet 100 per cent but I’m hoping that’s going to come in the next few days.”
Emma Raducanu handed tough opening draw ahead of Wimbledon return
08:00 , Jamie Braidwood
Emma Raducanu’s first Wimbledon match for two years will be against Russian 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The former US Open champion missed last year’s tournament following surgery on both wrists and one ankle but has shown good form in the build-up.
It is quite a tough draw, though, with Alexandrova having reached the fourth round last year.
British number one Katie Boulter, seeded at the All England Club for the first time, opens her campaign against former semi-finalist Tatjana Maria and could play compatriot Harriet Dart in the second round, while fifth seed Jessica Pegula looms in round three.
Dart will play Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan, while Francesca Jones is likely to find world number one Iga Swiatek waiting if she can get past Croatian Petra Martic.
Emma Raducanu handed tough opening draw ahead of Wimbledon return
Andy Murray given potential Wimbledon boost as draw reveals first-round opponent
07:30 , Jamie Braidwood
Andy Murray has been given an extra day to recover for his final Wimbledon after learning that his opening match against Tomas Machac would not be until Tuesday.
Murray took his place in the singles draw despite admitting he may not be ready to compete after undergoing an operation on his spine, and was handed a first-round tie against the 23-year-old Machac, who is ranked 38 in the world.
Murray, 37, has lost twice to Machac this year, including in a final-set tiebreak at Miami where the former World No 1 suffered an ankle ligament injury that ruled him out for six weeks.
But as Murray landed on the bottom side of the draw, the news that the two-time Wimbledon champion will not play on Tuesday was a bonus to his chances of being fit enough to compete. With defending Carlos Alcaraz taking his place in the top half of the draw and opening play on Centre Court on Monday, the bottom half of the draw will follow on Tuesday.
Murray is prepared to wait until the last moment before making a decision on whether to play in the singles as he recovers from surgery on a spinal cyst, but a Tuesday start in the singles allows Murray more time to assess his condition. He has taken a wildcard alongside brother Jamie Murray for the doubles, which starts later in the first week.
Wimbledon 2024 news and latest build-up
07:00 , Jamie Braidwood
Andy Murray will play Tomas Machac in the first round of Wimbledon, should the two-time champion be fit enough to take part in what is expected to be his final tournament at SW19. Murray took his place in the singles draw despite admitting he may not be ready to compete after undergoing an operation on his spine, and will give an update on his condition at the tournament’s media day this afternoon.
Emma Raducanu will play 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round as the former US Open champion returns to SW19 after missing last year due to injury. Katie Boulter, seeded for the first time, opens against Tatjana Maria and could play Harriet Dart in round two. Likewise, British No 1 Jack Draper opens against qualifier Elias Ymer and would face fellow Brit Cameron Norrie in round two if both men win their opening match.
The build-up to Wimbledon continues as women’s No 1 Iga Swiatek and men’s No 1 Jannik Sinner discuss their chances, with Marketa Vondrousova and Carlos Alcaraz the defending champions of the singles titles. Novak Djokovic is seeded second as the 37-year-old attempts to win Wimbledon for a record eighth time following a five-set defeat to Alcaraz in a thrilling men’s final last year.
Follow all the latest build-up to Wimbledon in today’s live blog
