Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu will play the mixed doubles event at Wimbledon as a wildcard entry.

Murray has been struggling with a back injury in recent weeks, for which he needed minor surgery, and pulled out of the men's singles on Tuesday.

However, he confirmed he would still be competing in the men's doubles alongside older brother Jamie.

The two-time singles champion is playing at Wimbledon for the final time before retiring later this year.

It will be Murray's fourth appearance in the mixed doubles, most notably pairing up with Serena Williams in 2019, making it to the third round.

2021 US Open champion Raducanu has already advanced to the second round in the women's singles and will play in the mixed doubles for the first time at a grand slam.

The pair are playing together for the first time, with the first round of the event scheduled for Friday and Saturday. They will find out their first opponents on Wednesday.

Andrey Rublev suffered a shock early exit at Wimbledon on Tuesday as numerous other seeds progressed through to the second round.

Rublev, a 17-time ATP Tour champion, reached the quarter-finals at this tournament last year but failed to make it past his opener this time after Argentine Francisco Comesana upset the sixth seed.

Comesana triumphed 6-4 5-7 6-2 7-6 (7-5) on No.2 Court, where play was disrupted by heavy downpour, as Rublev became the highest-ranked male player to fall so far at the All England Club.

Unlike Rublev, fourth seed Alexander Zverev coasted past Roberto Carballes Baenai in straight sets on No. 1 Court.

"I want to compete, I want to do well here at Wimbledon. It's the most historic tennis tournament that we have," Zverev said after reaching the second round for the seventh time in eight attempts at this tournament.

"I've struggled over the years here on these beautiful courts, unfortunately, but I feel different this year."

Hubert Hurcakz progressed through his first challenge, though the seventh seed conceded the first set before defeating Radu Albot 5-7 6-4 6-3 6-4, smashing 24 aces in the process.

Alex de Minaur headed into this year's edition as the ninth favourite and his opening performance befitted that status, overcoming fellow Australian James Duckworth 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4).

Stefanos Tsitsipas fought off Taro Daniel with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 7-5 in just under two-and-a-half hours as the 11th seed aims to go further than his personal-best fourth-round appearances in 2018 and five years later.

It was not so straightforward for British number one Jack Draper, who secured a hard-fought 3-6 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-3 victory over Elias Ymer under the lights on Centre Court.

Draper is in fine form, having won the Stuttgart Open in June and defeating Carlos Alcaraz at the Queen's Club Championship, and will next meet fellow British player Cameron Norrie.

World number 42 Norrie had little trouble in his first-round test, dispatching Facundo Diaz Acosta in straight sets on No.3 Court.

Data Debrief: Comesana on cloud nine as Zverev powers through

Comesana may have expected to compete with Rublev in his first-round encounter, but this was only his second appearance on grass courts of his career at any level, professional or junior.

The world number 122 managed to battle to a hard-fought triumph after a clinical showing, converting four of five break points he earned.

Zverev had no such difficulty in progressing to the second round, powering 18 aces at an event he has never reached the quarter-finals in.

The German is now 12-2 for the year in major action, having reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open and the showpiece at the French Open before defeat to Alcaraz.

Novak Djokovic enjoyed a triumphant return to Wimbledon, where the 24-time major champion says he "would not have risked" his knee injury anywhere else.

The 37-year-old eased past Vit Kopriva 6-1 6-2 6-2 under the roof on Centre Court in Tuesday's first-round clash.

That victory comes less than a month on from the Serb requiring surgery for a knee issue after withdrawing midway through the French Open.

Djokovic, aiming to equal Roger Federer's record eight titles at the All England Club, suggested he would not have played through the pain at any other tournament on the ATP circuit.

"Everything that I could do, I have done over the last three weeks along with my team to be able to play here for you today," Djokovic said during his on-court interview. 

"I think if it was for any other tournament I probably would not have risked it, would not have rushed as much but I just love Wimbledon, love coming back here."

Djokovic battled throughout with protective support on his right leg, though that appeared no issue in a dominant triumph against the Czech qualifier.

His reward will be a second-round clash against British wildcard Jacob Fearnley or Spanish qualifier Alejandro Moro Canas.

It will be Djokovic's 19th appearance in the second round at Wimbledon, equalling Federer for the most such outings in the men's singles draw at this event during the Open Era.

The message from the seven-time Wimbledon champion was clear heading into the next clash, with his focus on performance, rather than his troublesome injury.

"I tried to really focus on the game and not think about the knee too much," Djokovic added.

Novak Djokovic made a smooth return to the court after knee surgery, cruising past Vit Kopriva in straight sets to reach the second round of Wimbledon.

The world number two, wearing a knee support, looked to be moving comfortably as he saw off Kopriva 6-1 6-2 6-2 on Centre Court in just under two hours.

Djokovic got his first real test just four games in but fought to get an all-important break at the sixth attempt before winning the next three games to take the first set.

Kopriva had no answers to Djokovic's aggressive serves, and giving up two more breaks on his own, failed to mount any real challenge during the second.

It was the same story in the third set, as the seven-time champion won the last four games in a row to set up a meeting with Jacob Fearnley or Alejandro Moro Canas in the next round.

Data Debrief: Djokovic makes perfect return

Djokovic was forced to withdraw from his last grand slam match, with his knee injury stopping him from competing in the quarter-final at Roland Garros last month.

With his Wimbledon participation thrown into doubt when he had surgery, he will be pleased with the dominant nature of the win.

The Serb dropped just five games over the three sets, none of which were on his own serve.

Djokovic will be appearing in the second round at Wimbledon for the 19th time in his career. He equals Roger Federer for the most second-round appearances in the men's singles draw at this event during the Open Era.

Jannik Sinner made a winning start to his quest for Wimbledon glory, seeing off Yannick Hanfmann 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-3 on No.1 Court.

The new world number one is the first Italian to be the top seed in the men's singles event at SW19, and is fresh from landing his maiden ATP title on grass in Halle last time out.

Two break points were enough to put Sinner two sets to the good against Hanfmann, who was seeking his first victory in three main-draw appearances at Wimbledon.

The German responded in the third set to halve the deficit, but his opponent was not to be denied as he sealed the win in just under three hours.

Up next for Sinner is a mouth-watering all-Italian second-round clash against former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini, who won 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 3-6 6-1 against Marton Fucsovics to progress.

Earlier in the day on the same court as Sinner, fifth seed Daniil Medvedev moved safely into the second round.

Despite some difficult preparation for the tournament, Medvedev defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3 6-4 6-2 in just one hour and 47 minutes, firing down 16 aces and not being broken throughout the contest.

Data Debrief: Sinner picks up the baton

Sinner hit 16 aces and 47 winners to 30 unforced errors, while converting four out of five break points as he saw off world number 110 Hanfmann.

In his first major outing since officially becoming world number one, he extended the Wimbledon winning streak of players atop of the ATP rankings to 22 matches.

The last such defeat came exactly 2,178 days ago, when Rafael Nadal was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the 2018 semi-finals.

Earlier on, Medvedev overcame Kovacevic to claim his 230th ATP match win since the start of the 2020 season - the most of any player during this decade, and six clear of nearest challenger Andrey Rublev (224).

Carlos Alcaraz has made a winning start to his Wimbledon title defence, defeating qualifier Mark Lajal in a competitive contest.

Opening the 2024 tournament on Centre Court, the Spaniard was broken early in each of the first two sets, but ultimately progressed 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 6-2.

Alcaraz was more dominant in the third set, not offering up a single break-point opportunity to Estonian qualifier Lajal, who can nonetheless reflect on a decent showing on the big stage.

French Open champion Alcaraz, looking to become the youngest player in the Open Era to win Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in the same year, will play Aleksandar Vukic or Sebastian Ofner in round two.

Elsewhere on Monday, eighth seed Casper Ruud and 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov both made comfortable starts to the tournament with straight-sets wins over Alex Bolt and Dusan Lajovic respectively.

Denis Shapovalov is also through, with the Canadian knocking out 19th seed Nicolas Jarry in a 6-1 7-5 6-4 triumph.

Frances Tiafoe almost joined Jarry as a seed to crash out on day one, but the American fought back from two sets down to defeat Matteo Arnaldi in five. That dramatic win saw him tee up a round-two clash with Borna Coric.

There was more American success when Brandon Nakashima earned a straight-sets victory over 18th seed Sebastian Baez. He won 6-2 6-3 6-4 and will face Australian Jordan Thompson next.

Data Debrief: Alcaraz up and running

Alcaraz did not have ideal preparation for Wimbledon after losing to Jack Draper in the last 16 at Queen's.

He will therefore be pleased to have got two hours and 23 minutes of competitive court time under his belt against Lajal without his progress ever really looking like it was in jeopardy.

Alcaraz fired 44 winners and lost just nine of the 56 points played on his first serve. He was also adept at the net, winning 26 of his 33 points to make it a smooth start.

He is now just the seventh player in the Open Era, and the first since compatriot Rafael Nadal, to win all of his first 14 first-round matches in grand slam tournaments.

Andy Murray says he wants "a bit of closure" at Wimbledon as he continues a fight to be fit in time for his opening match.

The Brit is due to retire later this year but has previously said either Wimbledon or the Olympics would be a fitting stage to end his career.

However, Murray was forced to retire injured during the Queen's Club Championships in the second round due to a back injury earlier this month, for which he later underwent surgery.

Murray's Wimbledon campaign is due to start on Tuesday against Tomas Machac, but he is still yet to decide whether he will actually be competing in the men's singles event at the All England Club.

"I don't think there's one thing that I'm hoping for. When it comes to the end, I don't know, maybe a bit of closure," the two-time Wimbledon winner, Murray, said.

"I just want the opportunity to play one more time out there, hopefully on Centre Court, and feel that buzz.

"Last year, I wasn't planning on it being my last year on the tour. I wanted to come back and play again, whereas this year I have no plans to do that."

Murray is also due to play in the doubles alongside older brother Jamie, though his chances of competing in both are slim.

He managed to get on the Wimbledon practice courts for the first time on Saturday and, after more training on Sunday, Murray admitted he would wait until the last possible moment to decide on his participation.

"It went pretty well," Murray said after training on Sunday, "but I still don’t have 100% feeling and sensation in my leg.

"It's getting better every single day. I want to give it every single chance that I can to get there.

"I'm going to play another set again [on Monday]. I'm doing some physical testing in the morning to see how far off I am from a physical perspective. Then I will probably make a decision after that."

Carlos Alcaraz will be the Centre Court star at Wimbledon when the Spaniard opens his title defence on Monday.

Alcaraz will be hoping to add to this year's French Open glory when he opens his All England Club campaign against world number 269 Mark Lajal.

The 21-year-old will play in the Centre Court opener as the grass-court major starts, with Alcaraz aiming to become the youngest player in the Open Era to win at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in a calendar year.

World number one Jannik Sinner meets Yannick Hanfmann in his first-round clash on the same day.

Sinner won his maiden grand slam title at the Australian Open in January, and heads to SW19 having won a further three Tour-level titles this year.

Daniil Medvedev reached the semi-final last year for his personal-best performance at Wimbledon before losing to Alcaraz, and the fifth seed faces American Aleksandar Kovacevic in his opener.

As for the women's draw, Emma Raducanu will follow Alcaraz onto Centre Court as one of the home favourites at Wimbledon.

Raducanu reached the last four at the Nottingham Open before claiming her first top-10 victory against Jessica Pegula at Eastbourne, with Ekaterina Alexandrova awaiting in the first round for the Briton.

Aryna Sabalenka has won the opening round in her last 15 grand slam appearances and the third seed will be seeking to extend that impressive record when she clashes with world number 107 Emina Bektas.

Coco Gauff will be another to keep an eye on when she wraps up Monday's Centre Court action with an all-American showdown against Caroline Dolehide.

Reigning US Open champion Gauff will be the youngest player to feature in the women's singles at Wimbledon seeded in the top two since Maria Sharapova in 2007.

Taylor Fritz became the first man to win three titles at the Eastbourne International on Saturday as he defeated Max Purcell 6-4 6-3 in the final.

Fritz did not drop a single set en route to his eighth ATP title, only losing four points behind his first serve in the showpiece match.

He served brilliantly and was aggressive in reaching the net throughout the title match, earning a decisive break at 5-4 in the opening set.

He then won 12 straight points to seize control of the second set, ultimately needing just 71 minutes to reclaim the crown he previously won in 2019 and 2022. 

Data Debrief: Fritz America's best again

Having triumphed at Delray Beach back in February, Fritz has now won multiple ATP titles within a third straight calendar year.

His victory also ensures he will move up to 12th in next week's world rankings, overtaking Tommy Paul to become American number one once more.

Novak Djokovic was in a celebratory mood after passing his first Wimbledon test "pain-free" following a warm-up encounter with Daniil Medvedev.

The Serbian star withdrew midway through the French Open just three weeks ago after damaging the medial meniscus in his right knee.

Djokovic subsequently underwent knee surgery for the troublesome issue, though his recovery to compete at the grass-court major remained in doubt.

Yet the 37-year-old has once again defied the odds to feature at the All England Club.

"I can tell you I enjoyed myself really, really much," Djokovic said after playing against Medvedev in Friday's practice match.

"I can tell you that pain-free tennis is the best tennis. I was pain-free and I'm really glad. It was a great test obviously against one of the best players in the world.

"I've played a couple of practice sets but I really wanted to test myself. The test was very successful so I'm obviously really glad. It's been an intense three weeks after surgery, spending a lot of hours rehabbing.

"I kind of always wanted to give myself a chance to be in London. I think my surgeon is here. He's the MVP for sure in the last three weeks. I'm trying to take it day by day and see how far it goes."

The seven-time Wimbledon champion will face debutant Vit Kopriva in the first round of the upcoming major.

Djokovic will hope to go one better in the 2024 edition after losing in the showpiece to Carlos Alcaraz last year, his fifth straight Wimbledon tournament when making the final.

Centre Court was treated to a five-match thriller in that showdown with Alcaraz, and Medvedev suggested that may be the struggle for Djokovic with his knee issue.

"He seems to be fine," said world number five Medvedev. "You never know what he feels inside of him.

"It's a five-set match on grass [at Wimbledon], which is never easy for the knee, so I don't know how it's going to go during the matches.

"But he seemed to be moving well, even if I got him off guard a little bit."

Taylor Fritz remains on course to complete a hat-trick of titles at Eastbourne, with a straight-sets victory over Aleksandar Vukic sending him through to the final.

The American, who lifted the trophy here in 2019 and 2013, prevailed 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4) with five of the six sets he has played this week going to tie-breaks.

Nevertheless, the top seed is now one win away from landing his first ATP title of the season.

"[Being a former champion] has been helping me all week," he said. "I love playing here. The tournament is extra special to me because this is where I got my first title. Hopefully, I'll be back tomorrow to get number three."

Standing in his way is Max Purcell, who will contest his maiden ATP tour-level final after ending the hopes of home favourite Billy Harris.

The Australian has enjoyed a timely upturn in form this week, having arrived at Eastbourne off the back of four successive defeats.

Purcell was taken the distance by the British wildcard, but eventually came through 6-4 4-6 6-4.

Data Debrief: History beckons for Fritz

The joint-most successful player in the history of the ATP 250 event, Fritz is one victory away from surpassing Feliciano Lopez (also two titles) on the roll of honour.

The American has only dropped eight points on first serve across his three matches this week.

Meanwhile, his opponent is set to march into uncharted territory on Saturday, having come good when it mattered in the deciding set - winning 16 of his 20 points on first serve.

Jannik Sinner is set to start Wimbledon with a slight advantage over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the race to be crowned 2024 winner.

That is the view of former Wimbledon runner-up Mark Philippoussis, who says the two young stars deserve to be seen as clear frontrunners, particularly with doubts over Novak Djokovic's fitness. 

Sinner is the world number one and earned his first grand slam title at the Australian Open this year, while Alcaraz comes into the tournament on a high after claiming his third major at the French Open.

Alcaraz's grand slam titles have come on three different surfaces, but Philippoussis – who lost the 2003 final at Wimbledon to Roger Federer – feels Sinner, who will start his campaign against Yannick Hanfmann, still deserves to start as the marginal favourite.

With the Italian being top seed, following on from Alcaraz having that status last year, this is the first time players aged under 23 have held the top seed in consecutive editions of the men’s singles at Wimbledon since Lleyton Hewitt (2003) and Federer (2004). 

"In my eyes, Sinner is the favourite," Philippoussis said to Stats Perform at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic at the Hurlingham Club.

"I'm not going to say he is a clear favourite, but he definitely is the favourite. And then I'd say Alcaraz. 

"For me, there's a question mark around Djokovic. I'm very surprised to see him here. Apparently he's supposed to be playing a match [on Friday], which is a great idea for him. I think he is definitely going to get a gauge of where he is physically. 

"But Sinner and then Alcaraz, like I said, they are the favourites."

With eight-time Wimbledon champion Federer retired and Djokovic now 37 as the likes of Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray near the end of their careers, Philippoussis is relieved to see tennis in safe hands with Sinner and Alcaraz, whose rivalry looks likely to dominate the sport for the rest of the decade.

The Australian added: "You have got Alcaraz and Sinner and we are lucky to have them. 

"They are incredible for the game, not just because they are the champions they are at such a young age and what they bring to the table as far as their professionalism, but it is also the ambassadors they are for the sport. 

"I see the way they are around kids, around fans – they are incredible. They give their time. They make sure they wait around after practice no matter how tired they are. They literally sign as many as they can, if not everyone. 

"They are incredible ambassadors for the game. We were worried, especially with Federer and Nadal, Federer gone, Nadal almost there. Who's going to be taking over? 

"But I think we are in very, very good hands and they are amazing to have for the game and I'm excited. 

"Dominating is a tough thing, there are going to be other guys stepping up as well, but they are the ones who will be spearheading the game in years to come."

Alcaraz, who was drawn against Mark Lajal in round one, could become the youngest player in the Open Era to win at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in a calendar year, but there is always the prospect of a surprise at Wimbledon.

Asked for some of the threats to upset the leading players and go all the way at Wimbledon, Philippoussis named Grigor Dimitrov and Matteo Berrettini.

Dimitrov reached the last eight at the French Open this month – his first major quarter-final since 2021 – while Berrettini recently made the Stuttgart Open final, three years on from reaching the Wimbledon final, which he lost in four sets to Djokovic.

"Dark horses for me, I'm going to say Dimitrov," added Philippoussis, with the Bulgarian 10th seed set to take on Dusan Lajovic in the first round.

"He has been impressing me. He is hitting the ball as well as I have seen for a very long time. 

"His hands and his slice backhand, the way he chips the ball back and moves on the grass and his volleys, he is definitely someone that I wouldn't want to see in my part of the draw. 

"And I'm going to also say Berrettini. He lost just over a week ago in the last grass court tournament before Halle in the finals.

"He is healthy now and he has got a huge game. He lost in the finals at Wimbledon years ago and he is a dark horse as well."

Among players with 10 or more matches on grass since 2020, Berrettini (84.8%) is one of only three to hold a match win percentage above 80, with the other two being last year's finalists Djokovic (95.2%) and Alcaraz (85%).

Top seed Jannik Sinner will begin his Wimbledon campaign against Yannick Hanfmann, while defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will face Mark Lajal in the first round.

Seven-time winner Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, has been drawn to face qualifier Vit Kopriva in the first round, having appeared to confirm his participation at the year's third grand slam after recovering from knee surgery.

Djokovic initially said he would only play in SW19 if he felt he had a realistic chance of winning the title after withdrawing from the French Open, but on Thursday he gave reporters a thumbs up when asked if he would participate.

The Serbian is the second seed in the men's draw, putting him on the opposite side of the bracket to both Sinner and Alcaraz – who beat him in last year's final.

Two-time champion Andy Murray, meanwhile, will face Czech Tomas Machac first if he is fit to play after undergoing surgery on a back cyst last weekend.

The 37-year-old, who is expected to retire at the end of 2024, has said he will wait until the last minute before making a decision on his participation. 

The Scot could make his 16th appearance in the men's singles draw at SW19, surpassing Jeremy Bates for the outright most by any British player in the Open Era.

Murray is on the same side of the bracket as Djokovic, with fourth seed Alexander Zverev also a potential opponent for the Serbian down the line. The French Open runner-up faces Roberto Carballes Baena in his first match.

In the women's draw, world number one Iga Swiatek will begin her hunt for a first Wimbledon crown against American Sofia Kenin, with 2018 champion Angelique Kerber a potential third-round opponent for the Pole after she received a wild card.

Kerber is one of four former grand slam champions to receive a wild card into the women's draw, alongside Emma Raducanu, Naomi Osaka and Caroline Wozniacki.

Raducanu will start her campaign against 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova after missing last year's tournament through injury. Osaka will begin against France's Diane Parry while Wozniacki faces Alycia Parks.

Coco Gauff, seeded second, will take on Caroline Dolehide in an all-American first-round matchup, while world number three Aryna Sabalenka faces another American in Emina Bektas.

Dusan Lajovic has praised Novak Djokovic's resilience as he continues his preparations for Wimbledon next week. 

Djokovic, who has won the tournament seven times, underwent knee surgery earlier this month having withdrawn from the French Open. 

As a result, the Serbian was forced to relinquish his number one spot in the world rankings to Jannik Sinner. 

However, the Serbian was pictured training at Wimbledon 18 days after his successful operation, but remains unsure over his participation in the competition. 

Lajovic, who beat Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the Srpska Open last year, says his compatriot will make the right decision on his fitness.

"It just shows his grit," Lajovic said. "He's always been such a fighter, even if he gives himself a one per cent chance to compete, he's going to do everything to maximise that,"

"He's going to wait until probably the last minute to see if he's ready and if his body can support the stress of playing in a grand slam.

"So, in the end, he normally makes good decisions about his body, and about his tennis as well. If he thinks he can make it, then he probably can make it."

Novak Djokovic will only play at Wimbledon if he feels he has a chance of winning the tournament, with a decision on his involvement to be made before Friday's draw.

Djokovic tore the medial meniscus in his right knee at the French Open earlier this month, withdrawing ahead of a scheduled quarter-final against Casper Ruud.

He underwent surgery on the injury less than three weeks ago but still travelled to SW19 on Monday and was seen out on the practice courts.

However, the Serbian will only participate if he feels he has a realistic chance of an eighth Wimbledon crown, which would equal Roger Federer's all-time record. 

"I didn't come here to play a few rounds," Djokovic told BBC Sport. "You can never know 100% what is going to happen at a tournament, but I'm going to make a decision based on the feeling that I have.

"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."

Asked if his maximum meant a title push, Djokovic replied: "That's why I'm here. 

"I don't plan to retire or for this to be my last Wimbledon. The injury happened at an unfortunate moment but it's part of the sport."

Having gone through a two-hour session with bandaging on his affected knee on Monday, Djokovic added his recovery is going well and said he will give himself as much time as possible to make a decision.

"It's been going well. 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," he said.

"I still have a week left, which is plenty of time. I'm going to give my best to have a clear understanding of where I am before the draw is made, and we'll take it from there.

"I'm taking things gradually. I'm not pushing myself 100% yet but I'm hoping that's going to come in the next few days."

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.