Wimbledon 2024: Andy Murray pulls out of singles draw, plus Swiatek and Djokovic in action – live | Wimbledon 2024

A wobbly old start for Rybakina, a double-fault on 0-30 handing Ruse three break points. The first is served, but not the second, as Rybakina overhits a deep forehand. Ruse breaks straightaway to lead 1-0

Good news. Covers are coming off on the outside courts. And we’ll be under way on Court No 1 very soon anyway with the 2022 champ, Elena Rybakina, facing Elena Gabriella Ruse of Romania.

As the Beeb shows footage of Andy Murray grimacing; it’ll be a hard slog for him in the doubles too.

It’s still drizzling, so no play at present, though action will shortly start on the roofed Centre and No 1 Courts. First up on Centre is the defending champion, Marketa Vondrousova against the 83rd-ranked Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain. Vondrousova won last year as an unseeded player but is seeded six this year, having reached quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows and Roland Garros since last summer’s triumph. It’s a ferociously competitive field this year, albeit with Iga Swiatek the firm favourite. Here’s our preview:

Oh, and now it’s started raining, so covers are coming on across the venue.

Hubert Hurkacz has had a jolt, the Polish No 7 seed being broken at the last to lose the first set 7-5 to Radu Albot, ranked 144 in the world, while in the all-Australian tussle on Court 12, Alex de Minaur has won the first-set tiebreak against James Duckworth.

Paul Jubb continues to impress against Thiago Sorboth Wild, leading 6-1, 5-3, and Harriet Dart’s a break up in the second set so I might look in on that again.

Jess Pegula is through with ease, completing victory over Ashlyn Krueger in less than an hour and clinching it with an unanswerable ace. Next up on No 2 Court is Andrey Rublev against Francisco Comesaña of Argentina, which might be fun.

Meanwhile on Court 15 Munar’s just squandered a challenge with a ludicrously erroneous questioning of a standard-issue angled serve from Harris, which helps the British debutant hold to stay in serve at 2-1, second set. It’s now 2-2. Munar won the first 6-4.

Harriet Dart wins the first set against Zhuoxuan Bai 6-4. A tense, tight first set is finally broken open as Dart races to three break and set points, and a probing deep return seals the set from Dart as Bai can only skew it wide and out with a fautly low backhand. On Court No 2, Pegula breaks once again for 4-0 in the second set. She’ll be off for an agreeable early lunch soon.

Munar wins first set against Harris 6-4. The Spaniard romps to 40-0 and three set points before squandering one of them with a double-fault but isn’t to be denied. An easy hold. But better Brit news from Paul Jubb, who’s now 6-1, 3-0 up against Sorboth Wild.

Pegula, meanwhile, has an early break in the second set against Krueger and leads 6-2, 3-0.

Harris has a good confident serve on him though, and takes it back to 4-5 with a minimum of fuss, though Munar is now serving for the set. On Court Three Hurkacz is being made to work hard by Albot at 5-5.

Billy Harris’s serve has been broken by Munar, before some good deep returning brings him a break point but Munar snuffs out the danger with some booming serves. The Spaniard leads 5-3, first set.

On Court Four the Argentinian No 30 seed, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, has skipped merrily through his first set against Luca Nardi of Italy, 6-1.

The British wild card Paul Jubb has never reached the second round of a slam, but he must fancy his chances now after ripping through the first set 6-1 against Thiago Seyboth Wild in 22 minutes. In the women’s draw Pegula’s won the first set 6-2 against Krueger.

The umpire on Court 18 has just reprimanded spectators for opening a bottle of bubbly mid-game, propelling a cork onto the court. “Can you wait until the changeover,” he admonishes. I guess the last thing we want is that tedious Nursery End at Lord’s ritual of ostentatious outfield cork-popping. Anyway, Dart gave Bai a run for her money on that service game but the Chinese player held it after two deuces. 3-3.

Looking in on Court 18 now to see Harriet Dart survive an initial wobble in her service game before clinching it to 30 with some decent serve-volleying. Dart leads Zhuoxuan Bai 3-2, and it’s gone with serve. Fellow Brit Billy Harris is also 3-2 up in a match that’s gone with serve thus far, but compatriot Jan Choinski is a break down, 1-3 against Luciano Darderi of Italy, the world No 37.

Jessica Pegula isn’t hanging about. The American, a quarter-finalist here last year, has broken Ashlyn Krueger twice already to lead 4-0 in the first set. While Paul Jubb of Britain has also romped into a 3-0 lead over Thiago Sorboth Wild. Hubert Hurkacz is 2-2 against Radu Albot

As a result of Murray’s withdrawal, Jack Draper gets the teatime Centre Court slot now. His first-round match against Elias Ymer of Sweden has been shifted to the main stage from No 2 Court.

Quite a few other Brits in action early on meanwhile, including York’s Paul Jubb, who has an early break against Thiago Sorboth Wild of Brazil. Harriett Dart has just got under way against Zhuoxuan Bai of China too. And the aforementioned Billy Harris has held serve in the first game against Jaume Munar

OK, so the players are out knocking up on the outside courts. Time to start flitting around from match to match.

This morning’s news gives us an excuse to bask in clips such as this:

Though there’s also much to remember in late-period Murray of the past few years too; those late-night early round dramas, from a time when his chances of winning a slam again had long gone but just felt like the most important matches of all times when you were watching them. Have these islands produced a more watchable and likeable elite sportsperson in modern times?

Here’s Tumaini’s report on that Murray news:

Andy Murray has played in the doubles at Wimbledon on only two previous occasions, with David Sherwood way back in 2005 when they fell in the first round, and in 2019 with Pierre Hugues Herbert, losing in the second round. Though he did win a silver medal in SW19 with Laura Robson in the mixed doubles at the London 2012 Olympics.

He and Jamie will start their campaign this year on Thursday.

It’s a measure of the man, and his tenacity and love for the sport, that Andy Murray is still up for the doubles with brother Jamie. Just as we always admired those old footballers that eked out the final years of their career in the lower divisions, and cricketers such as Marcus Trescothick he played on for their counties long after their international careers were over, there’s much to commend in that. Kevin Mitchell wrote about this eloquently at the weekend.

Murray out of singles but plans to compete in doubles

Tumaini Carayol

Andy Murray has been forced to withdraw from the singles draw at his final Wimbledon after he was unable to recover sufficiently from the back surgery he underwent 10 days before Wimbledon began.

“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 and looks forward to competing at Wimbledon for the last time,” Murray’s representatives said in a statement.

Murray’s preparations for his final Wimbledon had suffered a painful blow two weeks ago when he was forced to withdraw from Queen’s due to pain and numbness in his back and right leg. Murray soon underwent back surgery to remove a spinal cyst and he has been rushing to recover in time to compete in his scheduled first round match against Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic. Murray will, however compete in the doubles draw with his brother, Jamie.

The news we didn’t want to hear. Andy Murray’s injury has got the better of him and he’s out of the tournament, denying us a Wimbledon swansong in the slam he’s won twice.

More news imminently …

One match worth looking out for this morning involves the British No 5, Billy Harris, making his grand slam debut at last at the age of 29, having begun his career kipping in his van as he schlepped around Europe. He faces Jaume Munar of Spain first up on Court 15.

More on Harris here:

While we await Murray news and tennis live action, here’s some reports from yesterday, including wins for Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and more.

Morning everyone. Welcome to a day two on which the UK focus will inevitably and heavily be on Andy Murray and the will-he/won’t-he issue of his fitness to face Tomas Machac at teatime, or will his Wimbledon swansong be declared a non-starter? We’re on the alert for the imminent news on that.

In terms of definite live action. there’s plenty to get stuck into. Later, on the show courts, the defending women’s champion, Marketa Vondrousova, begins her title defence on Centre Court against the unseeded Spaniard Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro. Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek are also in action later.

But the other courts get swinging at 11am, and No 2 Court looks a decent one to have tickets for, with Jessica Pegula, the No 5 seed, in action first up against the US’s Ashlyn Krueger. Andrey Rublev, Jack Draper and Ons Jabeur are also in action there. Also on early are the always watchable Hubert Hurkacz, the seventh seed, who faces Radu Albot of Moldova, and an all-Australian match-up on Court 12 between Alex de Minaur, fresh from reaching the quarter-finals at the French Open, and James Duckworth.

It’s overcast but dry in SW19 with a slight risk of rain in mid-afternoon but hopefully nothing too disruptive. Don’t go anywhere.