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ANDY Murray begins his Wimbledon farewell on Thursday as he teams up with brother Jamie in the men’s doubles, while there are two all-British battles in the singles.
The Murrays play Australian pairing John Peers and Rinky Hijikata in the third match on Centre Court.
In the second round of the singles, 32nd seed Katie Boulter takes on Harriet Dart before British men’s number one Jack Draper faces 2022 semi-finalist Cameron Norrie.
Opening play on Centre, British wildcard and recent university graduate Jacob Fearnley has the formidable task of playing seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.
Meanwhile, Lily Miyazaki aims to join Emma Raducanu and Sonay Kartal in the third round when she takes on 14th seed Daria Kasatkina on court 18 at 11:00 BST, in a match delayed by rain on Wednesday.
Murrays plan ‘good run’ in Andy’s farewell
Two-time champion Andy Murray was cruelly denied the opportunity to play in the singles for one final time at the place he will always be synonymous with.
But, just 10 days after a back operation, he has declared himself fit enough to make a touching appearance with his older sibling Jamie in the men’s doubles.
The pair have never played together at the Championships before, despite memorably teaming up during Great Britain’s 2015 Davis Cup triumph and competing in the men’s doubles at three Olympics Games, including London 2012.
This is their last opportunity at Wimbledon with 37-year-old Andy ready to retire later this year.
“Getting the opportunity to play with Jamie here will be special and I’ll make the most of it,” said Andy.
“It’s easier said than done to just enjoy it when you’re out there because you’re competing, concentrating and trying to win the match.
“Hopefully we can have a good run.”
Top two Britons go head to head – in women’s and men’s singles
Media caption,
Best shots as Katie Boulter beats Tatjana Maria
Court One is dominated by British players on day four with Boulter opening play at 13:00 against Dart.
The 27-year-olds were born just four days apart and Boulter says they “both know each other’s games inside out, back to front”.
Boulter has won both their meetings on the WTA Tour, including a tight three-set battle on her way to winning the Nottingham Open last month.
It is a meeting between the British number one and two with Dart, ranked 94th, saying her opponent has “been having an amazing year”.
They will be followed on court by their male equivalents, left-handers Draper and Norrie, with the former recently taking over as Britain’s leading player.
Draper, the 28th seed, said he has “huge respect for Cam” and was expecting an “incredibly tough” match.
The 22-year-old told BBC Sport: “He is one of these guys with incredible discipline and always treated me extremely well as a young player. Cam is someone who has really shown me the way.”
Draper won his first ATP Tour title on the grass in Stuttgart last month before beating Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s. Norrie, 28, said the younger man was playing at an “unreal” level.
“I’m really going to have to play my best to have a chance with him. He’s really looking good,” Norrie added.
“We have practised with each other a lot, we’re good friends so it’s a shame we have to face each other this early but I’m looking forward to the match.”
Djokovic doing homework on Fearnley
Few outside of the inner circle of British tennis will have heard of Jacob Fearnley until now.
That included his opponent in Thursday’s second-round match on Centre Court.
“I don’t know much about him myself,” said 24-time major champion Djokovic.
“I watched a couple of videos this morning of his first-round match and I’m going to have to do my homework better with my team with some video analysis and prepare myself.”
Fearnley, a 22-year-old from Scotland who only left university in the United States in May, has enjoyed a productive summer on the British grass courts.
Ranked outside the top 500 last month, he won the Nottingham Open title on the second-tier ATP Challenger Tour and climbed into the world’s top 300 as a result.
He was rewarded with a Wimbledon wildcard and beat Spanish qualifier Alejandro Moro Canas on Tuesday.
“A British player playing in Britain is always a tough task,” said 37-year-old Djokovic, who is still recovering from knee surgery last month.
“I watched him play and he’s got a complete game. He’s got a big serve, an aggressive style and loves to come to the net as well.”
BBCSport
A.I
July 04, 2024 @ 05:52 GMT
Tags: Andy Murray Emma Raducanu
