Andy Murray’s main memories of the biggest moment of his life are of tension and fatigue.

“I remember it being unbelievably stressful and then at the end of it huge relief,” he says of the victory over Novak Djokovic that ended Great Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s singles champion at Wimbledon.

The year before had ended with Murray choked by tears on Centre Court following defeat by Roger Federer in his first final.

Twelve months later and with a long-awaited first slam title under his belt in New York, Murray faced another of his major foes with history at his fingertips.

Friday marks the 10-year anniversary of that day and the feelings remain seared in Murray’s mind.

“I was unbelievably nervous before the final and I also remember feeling like my team were really nervous,” he tells the PA news agency.

“They were struggling to hide it. My physical trainer, when we were doing the pre-match warm-up, he was fumbling all of the balls during the reaction drills.”

Even ‘Old Stone Face’ Ivan Lendl, the coach who had helped turn Murray into a slam champion, was not immune to the tension.

“Ivan doesn’t usually talk loads but before the final he was chatting a lot and I just felt my team were feeling it as well,” adds Murray.

“After the match I was exhausted. Twenty or 30 minutes after we got off the court, I was sitting with my wife and I was wanting to sleep. That is not usually how you feel after a match, normally the adrenaline makes it hard to sleep but I was completely spent after the match.”

The history books show Murray won in straight sets, 6-4 7-5 6-4, yet even when he served for the match in a tortuous game that somehow encapsulated all his struggles, it still felt on a knife edge.

Three match points came and went, then there were three break point chances for Djokovic as the tension around Centre Court ramped up and up. Murray stood firm, saving each one confidently, before a fourth chance came the Scot’s way, and this time his opponent netted.

The reaction from Murray was of sheer wide-eyed joy mixed with disbelief before the enormity of it all caught up with him.

For his opponent, the memories are of course very different, although Djokovic could find happiness amid his disappointment for the rival just a week older than him against whom he had been competing since childhood.

“It was not a great result for me obviously in the end, painful to lose a grand slam final, especially the Wimbledon final,” says Djokovic, who has lost only twice at SW19 in the decade since.

“But I was happy for Andy because he deserved it. He was working so hard to get his hands on the Wimbledon title.

“I had to congratulate him because he was a better player that day and it was kind of a perfect scenario for Great Britain and for him as a British player to win at Wimbledon on Centre Court.”

Among the crowd living every twist and turn was an 11-year-old Jack Draper, who eight years later made his own Centre Court debut.

“Watching Andy win Wimbledon on Centre Court in 2013 was an experience that I will never forget,” says the British number four.

“I was only 11 at the time but, looking back, it was definitely a moment that made me more motivated than ever to become a professional tennis player – and compete on the biggest stages against the world’s best players.

“I was very lucky to have Andy as a role model and hope that in the future I can do the same for young players.”

The experience was not at all the same for Murray’s brother Jamie, who was notably absent among the family and friends supporting the Scot courtside.

“I watched the final on a laptop in Stuttgart with my wife,” says the doubles specialist, who had already moved on to his next tournament.

“Of course it would have been great to be there to see him win but reality was it definitely wasn’t a sure thing. He was playing Novak, he’d lost a bunch of finals to that point.

“I was just glad that he won. I didn’t really care that I missed it. Obviously it was a weird situation to find yourself watching the match. The stream wasn’t even particularly great.

“I know what it meant to him to finally get his hands on the trophy. I don’t even remember what it was like when I saw him. Everything had kind of died down by then. It was a bit lame but that’s just the way it was.”

The Wimbledon victory cemented Murray’s place as one of Britain’s sporting greats, and he followed it up three years later with a second title.

Jamie does not believe achieving his biggest goal changed his brother, saying: “He was still incredibly motivated to do the best he could on the court and try to win more grand slams, that his talent probably deserved.

“That was an amazing moment in tennis where these four guys were playing in the semis and finals of every big tournament. They hoovered up everything for so long. I know Andy only won three but he played in 11 grand slam finals, which is a crazy career when you think about it.”

Mark Philippoussis still holds frustrations over his defeat to Roger Federer in the 2003 Wimbledon final.

Thursday, July 6 marks 20 years since Philippoussis went down 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 7-6 (7-3) to a then 21-year-old Federer at the All England Club.

That defeat saw Philippoussis' second chance at winning a major title pass by, and also marked the first grand slam success of Federer's incredible career.

Federer would win a further 19 major titles, including another seven at Wimbledon, before he retired last year.

Reflecting on that loss 20 years ago, Philippoussis told Stats Perform that seeing Federer go on to enjoy so much success did not ease the pain.

"No, no, I think a loss is a loss and unfortunately, no one really remembers the runners-up," he said.

"I'm always going to be proud of those couple of weeks, and Wimbledon was always my favourite event of the year and my dream as a kid. I came close but close wasn't good enough."

Philippoussis does have immense pride in his run to that final, though.

He added: "It was a very proud day. It was my dream, one of my dreams as a kid was hopefully one day, not only just play on that Centre Court, but play that last Sunday match and have that walk on that Centre Court.

"I was lucky enough to do that walk. Of course, going all the way and losing in the final hurts, I'm not going to lie, especially where I believe that I had some opportunities in that first set.

"It wasn't meant to be but I'm very proud of that."

Asked if he believed at that moment Federer would ultimately become one of the greatest players of all time, Philippoussis said: "He always had that talent. He was number three in the world at that stage. It's not like he came out of nowhere.

"He was someone that everyone was looking up to, that was capable of being a grand slam champion and number one in the world, but did I think he was going to go ahead and win over 20 grand slams?

"I thought that maybe Pete Sampras was going to hold on to that [record of] 14 for a little while, but just the way Federer dominated for years after that was amazing."

Federer's eight titles in the men's singles is a Wimbledon record. Sampras and Novak Djokovic, who is seeded second at the current tournament, are one behind him on seven.

Wimbledon is again playing catch-up on Thursday after protesters and more rain caused delays on Wednesday.

British fans will have hopes for another Andy Murray classic on Centre Court as he plays fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas while three other home players are in singles action.

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina headline the day’s action in the women’s tournament as organisers hope for better weather and no more disruption from activists.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at Thursday’s action.

Playing catch-up

The inclement weather over the first three days has caused havoc with the scheduling.

While the likes of Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic are sat comfortably in the third round, there are 17 first-round matches across both the men’s and women’s draw still to be completed going into the fourth day of the tournament – when all second-round matches are usually completed.

That backlog is going to take a couple of days to clear and with the threat of more rain to come at the weekend, tournament officials will be wary of more scheduling headaches.

Match of the day

Murray will meet Tsitsipas in the second round and it has all the hallmarks of another evening thriller under the roof.

The two-time champion has specialised in such occasions over his rich history at the tournament and this will be a good test of where his game really is.

Tsitsipas had to play four sets of his fourth-round match on Wednesday, which could help Murray, but is one of the best players in the world.

If Murray is to win, there are sure to be some nails bitten first.

Stricter security

After there were two separate Just Stop Oil protests on Wednesday, where activists twice got on to Court 18 to throw orange confetti and jigsaw pieces, security looks set to be beefed up to prevent any more incidents.

Jigsaws were removed from sale in the onsite shop on Tuesday, but fans could now have to go through a more vigorous bag check when entering the grounds.

There could also be more security guards and police on show to protect the players and courts.

Brit watch

Five British players fell on Wednesday as Heather Watson, Arthur Fery, George Loffhagen, Jodie Burrage and Sonay Kartal all lost, but the home interest remains strong on Thursday.

Murray is not the only Briton on Centre Court as Liam Broady opens up proceedings against fourth seed Casper Ruud, while Katie Boulter will look to equal her best effort at Wimbledon by beating Viktoriya Tomova on Court 12 and reach round three.

Jan Choinski completes the British singles line-up when he takes on his former doubles partner Hubert Hurkacz in the opening match on Court 18.

Order of play

Centre Court
Liam Broady v Casper Ruud
Elena Rybakina v Alize Cornet
Andy Murray v Stefanos Tsitsipas

Court One
Alexander Zverev v Gijs Brouwer
Sloane Stephens v Donna Vekic
Jessica Pegula v Cristina Bucsa

Other Britons
Katie Boulter v Viktoriya Tomova (Court 12)
Jan Choinski v Hubert Hurkacz (Court 18)

Weather

World number one Iga Swiatek was enjoying the calmness amid the chaos at Wimbledon after easing past Sara Sorribes Tormo in the second round.

The Pole was able to book her place in the third round before some first-round matches had even started after rain caused havoc with the scheduling.

There was little danger of her being knocked out of rhythm as she breezed to a 6-2 6-0 victory on Centre Court.

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“For sure it’s really comfortable,” she said. “I’m happy that my matches were scheduled under the roof, so I always was certain that it’s going to actually happen.

“It’s a little bit easier to prepare knowing that. But on the other hand I know I would still be ready anyway if my match was suspended or something.

“For sure it’s more comfortable. I would say you have this normal grand slam rhythm with one day off, one day of playing matches.”

Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk revealed a bout of tears during the two rain breaks helped her stage an impressive recovery against eighth seed Maria Sakkari.

Kostyuk looked to be heading home after being bagelled in the first set, but, with the aid of a couple of emotional outbursts when the wet weather came, she turned it around to seal a 0-6 7-5 6-2 victory.

“The rain helped. I think I was very emotional,” she said. “I got more emotional on court after the second rain break, but before that, I was very emotional but I was, like, numb in a way. I was so emotional I couldn’t do anything about it.

“So I had a really good cry both times, that helped, because I was also desperate in a certain way, because I’m playing good, but I don’t know why is it going so bad.”

Kostyuk received good support from the British crowd, having been booed at the French Open for failing to shake Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka’s hand after their match due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“That was questionable behaviour from the fans,” she said. “I mean, they can do whatever they want, honestly, but I just didn’t understand it. I don’t think I ever will.

“Obviously the support here is different, I’m very happy with the support at the end of the match and throughout the match too.”

Two-time champion Petra Kvitova enjoyed an impromptu appearance on Centre Court as her contest with Jasmine Paolini was moved there following three quick matches.

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And she prevailed in a thrilling late-night finish on her old stomping ground, winning 6-4 6-7 (5) 6-1.

Donna Vekic, who was originally scheduled to play on Monday, finally got on court and wrapped up a 6-2 6-3 success over Zhang Shuai while Anett Kontaveit, playing in her final tournament, beat Lucrezia Stefanini 6-4 6-4.

Daria Kasatkina needed only an hour to beat an overwhelmed Jodie Burrage on Centre Court while former French Open winner Sloane Stephens kicked off her campaign with a 6-2 6-3 win over Rebecca Peterson.

Katie Boulter was the sole British winner at Wimbledon on a day affected by rain and protesters.

The British number one saw her match disrupted by the second Just Stop Oil incursion of the day on to Court 18 but it did not hamper Boulter, who won five points in a row when play resumed to take the first set against Daria Saville.

The pair had begun their match on Tuesday morning before rain intervened and picked it up again with Boulter 6-5 down in the opening set.

Having come through the tie-break against Australian Saville, who is working her way back from a serious knee injury, Boulter pulled away to win 7-6 (4) 6-2.

She said of the protest, which saw a man run on to the court and scatter confetti and jigsaw pieces: “It was obviously a little bit of a shock to the system. I think we both handled it really well. It’s a really unfortunate situation for everyone.”

Boulter’s good friend Jodie Burrage was the first British player in action in round two but her Centre Court debut ended rather too swiftly in a 6-0 6-2 loss to 11th seed Daria Kasatkina.

“It was a good experience,” she said. “Obviously not the result that I wanted. The first set was pretty brutal. But all in all, you dream to be out on Centre Court.”

Arthur Fery acquitted himself very well on his Wimbledon debut, pushing third seed Daniil Medvedev in an entertaining clash on Court One before going down 7-5 6-4 6-3.

The 20-year-old is likely to skip his final year of studies at Stanford University to turn professional, saying: “Experiences like I had today make me push towards going pro.

“I feel like it could be a pretty standard thing in the coming years to play in these tournaments on the big courts. I feel more and more ready as the years go by to switch to the pro career.”

Fellow wild card George Loffhagen was unable to quite match his first-set efforts on Tuesday as he fell to a 7-6 (4) 6-3 6-2 loss to sixth seed Holger Rune but the 22-year-old’s appetite has also been whetted.

“To just see guys like this, that you see on the TV all the time, it definitely gives you a lot of motivation to work hard and hopefully one day get here without wild cards or anything,” he said.

Heather Watson reached the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time here last year but she was also a first-round faller, beaten 6-2 7-5 by 10th seed Barbora Krejcikova.

“I feel like I was playing much better this year than I was last year,” said Watson. “It just happens with draws sometimes.”

Sonay Kartal was the final home singles player to make it out on to court and she was overpowered by 25th seed Madison Keys in a 6-0 6-3 defeat.

Just Stop Oil protesters disrupted play on the third day of the Championships as Katie Boulter’s straight-sets victory provided the only cheer for British hopefuls at Wimbledon.

Boulter’s victory over Daria Saville was one of two matches on Court 18 targeted by the climate activists, who threw orange confetti and jigsaw pieces on the lawn.

There were no such disruptions for Novak Djokovic or Iga Swiatek on Centre Court after they cruised through in quick time to make the third round.

British number one Jodie Burrage had opened up proceedings on the venue but lost emphatically in her second-round match while compatriots Arthur Fery, George Loffhagen, Heather Watson and Sonay Kartal all suffered first-round exits.

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If Wimbledon organisers were left cursing the weather after day two of the Championships, Wednesday brought even more problems with rain and protests.

Light morning rain meant a delay on the outside courts and when play did get under way just after 12.30pm, it barely lasted half an hour before players were forced off again.

Live tennis should still have been on the menu, but the questionable decision to keep the roof open on Court One resulted in a delay to Daniil Medvedev and Fery’s first-round clash starting.

Just Stop Oil protesters then caused havoc on Court 18, with Sho Shimabukuro and Grigor Dimitrov’s match disrupted shortly before another rain delay, and the climate activists also targeted Boulter’s contest later in the day on the same court.

With a number of cancellations and other matches moved, only to subsequently be suspended, it proved to be a challenging day for organisers, who will hope the only orange spotted in SW19 on Thursday is the sun.

Andy Murray will take on fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas on Centre Court on Thursday after the fifth seed came through a five-set battle against Dominic Thiem.

A match that started at 11am on Tuesday finally finished just before 8pm on Wednesday with Tsitsipas claiming a 3-6 7-6 (1) 6-2 6-7 (5) 7-6 (8) victory after three hours and 56 minutes of on-court action.

That will certainly have done Murray’s chances no harm given the two-time former champion was able to relax on Wednesday having wrapped up an easy win over Ryan Peniston under the roof 24 hours previously.

Murray and Tsitsipas have met twice previously – a five-set epic at the US Open in 2021 that went the Greek’s way and an encounter on grass in Stuttgart last summer where Murray claimed one of his best wins since his hip surgery.

Tsitsipas said of facing Murray: “I’m not expecting anyone supporting (me). It’s not my first rodeo.”

It is almost exactly 10 years since the Scot first lifted the trophy in SW19, and Tsitsipas said: “I remember witnessing his first Wimbledon title. Thinking about it now gives me goosebumps because I sort of felt what he went through because it was so difficult for him to close that last game.

“Every time I see that again it gives me shivers. He’s someone who’s done so much for the sport and I’ll go into it with a lot of respect for him. He’s such a tough competitor. That (Centre Court) is almost like his living room.”

It has been an up-and-down season for Tsitsipas, who reached his second grand slam final at the Australian Open but was brushed aside by Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the French Open and has won only two of his five matches on grass.

He resumed on Wednesday a set down to former US Open champion Thiem, who has now lost in the first round of grand slams six consecutive times as he continues to try to return to his former glories following a wrist injury.

The Austrian is at least getting closer and this match was right in the balance until the end of the deciding tie-break.

Tsitsipas’ girlfriend Paula Badosa came out to support him after winning her opening match and a final forehand pass proved to be the crucial moment.

Novak Djokovic reached yet another milestone as he continued his quest for an eighth Wimbledon title.

Victory for the Serbian over Australia’s Jordan Thompson in the second round meant he became only the third player in history, along with Roger Federer and Serena Williams, to clock up 350 match wins at grand slams.

The 23-time major champion, bidding to equal Federer’s record of eight titles in SW19, was never at full throttle against world number 70 Thompson.

He broke serve just twice but still registered a relatively routine 6-3 7-6 (4) 7-5 victory, extending his record Centre Court winning streak to 41 matches – his last defeat coming to Andy Murray in the 2013 final.

Djokovic, also chasing the calendar grand slam and bidding to become Wimbledon’s oldest men’s singles champion at 36, said: “Centre Court has been the most special court for our tennis history. I truly try to marvel and enjoy every moment I spend on the court.

“It’s a huge privilege at this stage of my career when I’m trying to push the young guns. We have a very special, romantic relationship, me and this court.”

Djokovic will face either Tomas Martin Etcheverry or former grand slam winner Stan Wawrinka in round three.

Federer, who retired last year and visited Wimbledon on Tuesday, has no doubt his mark is about to be equalled by Djokovic.

He told CNN: “I think he’s the big, big favourite. Honestly, I think it’s great for him. I had my moments.

“For me, having won my eighth or my fifth in a row or whatever it may be, that was my moment.

“So if somebody equals that or passes that, this is their thing, their moment.”

Ninth seed Taylor Fritz finally won his first-round match, two days after it started.

Bad light, and then Tuesday’s rain, meant the American and Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann resumed on Wednesday at 3-2 in the fifth set, and Fritz took it 6-4 2-6 4-6 7-5 6-3.

Former world number three Dominic Thiem was a set up on Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas when the rain forced them off at lunchtime on Tuesday.

But in a late evening thriller on Court Two, Tsitsipas won a deciding match tie-break at 6-6 in the fifth set to set up a second-round meeting with Andy Murray.

American Frances Tiafoe, seeded 10, was a straight-sets winner over Wu Yibing of China.

But while they are through to round two and Djokovic is already safely in round three, spare a thought for Alexander Zverev, the 19th seed who is still yet to play his first-round match against Gijs Brouwer.

Katie Boulter expects Wimbledon to beef up their security after her first-round match with Daria Saville was disrupted by the second Just Stop Oil protest of the day.

The British number one was on Court 18 when an activist ran on and threw orange confetti and jigsaw pieces just two hours after two people had done the same thing.

It came at a tricky moment for her as she trailed 4-2 in a first-set tie-break, but, having helped with the clean-up operation on the court, Boulter won the first nine points after the resumption which set up a 7-6 (4) 6-2 victory.

She admitted to being in “shock” at what happened, but thinks the tournament will react accordingly.

Asked if she was worried, the 26-year-old replied: “Definitely, you never know what it is. I think I heard the crowd before I saw anything.

“Then I realised what it was because I saw it in the previous match.

“It was obviously a little bit of a shock to the system. I think we both handled it really well. It’s a really unfortunate situation for everyone.

“I wouldn’t say I felt in danger. I was quite far away from it. I was walking the opposite side.

“I’m pretty sure there will be a reaction to what’s been happening and there will be more security in place or whatever they need to do to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

“I’m not worried about it. I’m just going to be focusing on myself. I’m going to keep playing tennis. That’s where I’m going to be. Yeah, hopefully we roll into a few more days.”

Boulter was followed on to Court 18 later in the day by her boyfriend Alex De Minaur after it was announced the pair would be playing mixed doubles together.

She is hoping to avoid any on-court domestics but thinks their relationship might be tested.

“I was privileged enough to ask him and he said yes,” Boulter said. “I think it’s something we’ve both wanted to do for quite some time.

“I think we’re both going to really enjoy it and cherish it. It’s not often that you get to have that experience together, especially at Wimbledon.

“We’re going to go out there and have a swing. We’ve got nothing to lose, so I’m looking forward to it.

“I think it’s going to be a experience. It’s going to test our relationship. I don’t doubt that for a minute.

“It’s a totally different vibe going on the court with him. I think we bring the best out of each other, in terms of tennis, on and off the court. I think we’re going to have a couple of smiles on our faces, enjoying ourselves.”

British number five Heather Watson exited Wimbledon in round one after a 6-2 7-5 defeat to 10th seed Barbora Krejcikova.

Watson made the fourth round in 2022, her best run at the All England Club, and enjoyed herself on Court One last summer but it was a different story this time.

Former French Open winner Krejcikova showed her growing confidence on grass with a dominant display to send the home favourite packing after one hour and 38 minutes.

Watson’s first-round tie had been scheduled for Court Two on Tuesday evening, but poor weather wiped out the majority of the second day and saw her match bumped up to Court One.

It was familiar territory for the British number five, who won two of her three matches last year on on the court, but opponent Krejcikova was in no mood to offer out freebies and barely dropped a point during the opening exchanges.

Plenty of green seats were visible as Watson quickly found herself 3-0 down and despite being able to get on the board before holding again following an eight-minute game, the 10th seed broke with a sweet backhand winner to clinch a one-sided opener in 35 minutes.

More fans had filtered in and the sun was beginning to break through with Sue Barker, who fronted the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage for 30 years until she left the role last summer, in the stands to offer support for Watson.

A roaring comeback had kick-started Watson’s campaign in 2022 and she made a strong start to the second set against a player who made the Rothesay Classic final in Birmingham last month.

The pivotal moment arrived in the ninth game when Watson forced two break-point opportunities, but neither could be taken.

Krejcikova needed a medical time-out for treatment on her left foot at 6-5 in the second set, which proved to only delay the inevitable.

Three match points came and went on Watson’s serve before finally the stubborn defence of the Briton was breached to send the seeded Czech through to round two.

British number one Katie Boulter did not allow another Just Stop Oil protest to get in her way of a place in the second round at Wimbledon after a comfortable victory over Daria Saville.

Boulter was trailing 4-2 in the first-set tie-break when a protester ran on to Court 18 and threw orange confetti and jigsaw pieces just two hours after a first protest on the same court.

But after a small delay, Boulter won the following five points to claim the first set and then raced through the second set to claim a 7-6 (4) 6-2 win against her Australian opponent.

The 26-year-old is enjoying an impressive run, having won her maiden WTA Tour title in Nottingham at the start of the grass-court season, and as the highest ranked Briton she will have designs on a deep run at her home grand slam.

She had to do it the hard way, though, as she had to resume the match – that was suspended 28 hours earlier due to bad rain – serving to stay in the first set, but delivered a service hold to love.

But after just 10 points of the resumption, and trailing 4-2 in the tie-break, a protester ran onto court and play was suspended again.

Along with Saville, she helped the ground staff in the clean-up operation and the mini-break seemed to work wonders for her as she reeled off five successive points in the tie-break to claim the first set.

Four more followed as she won the first game of the second set to love and that set the tone for what turned out to be a comfortable afternoon.

She won four of the next six games before serving out an impressive victory.

A showcourt appearance will probably now lie in wait in her second round match against Bernarda Pera or Viktoriya Tomova.

Three people have been arrested after two protests disrupted tennis at Wimbledon on the tournament’s third day.

Two men and a woman, all wearing T-shirts with “Just Stop Oil” printed on them, have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage after throwing orange confetti and jigsaw puzzle pieces on to a court.

The two incidents occurred about two hours apart on Wednesday.

The first featured Deborah Wilde, 68, a retired teacher from London, and Simon Milner-Edwards, 66, a retired musician from Manchester, Just Stop Oil said.

It happened just after 2pm during a match between Grigor Dimitrov and Sho Shimabukuro.

The second disrupted play between British number one Katie Boulter and her opponent Daria Saville, both of whom helped clear the court after an activist was escorted away.

The Metropolitan Police tweeted after the latter protest: “We are aware of an incident on Court 18 whereby one male has unlawfully entered the field of play and discharged items onto the playing surface.

“He was immediately removed from the Grounds and arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage.”

Wimbledon said on Twitter after the first stoppage: “Following an incident on Court 18, two individuals have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage and these individuals have now been removed from the Grounds.”

British number one Katie Boulter will play mixed doubles with Australian boyfriend Alex De Minaur at Wimbledon.

The pair are one of the highest-profile couples in tennis and, having supported each other court-side on many occasions, they will now be on the same side of the net for the first time.

Boulter and De Minaur, who will face Australian duo Storm Hunter and John Peers in the first round, are not the only off-court couple in the draw.

World number five Stefanos Tsitsipas and Spain’s Paula Badosa, who recently made their relationship public, are also playing together and will take on top seeds Austin Krajicek and Jessica Pegula.

Other notable pairings are all-British duos Heather Watson and Joe Salisbury and Jodie Burrage and Lloyd Glasspool, while Jamie Murray will play with American Taylor Townsend.

Britain’s Neal Skupski and American Desirae Krawczyk, meanwhile, are bidding for their third successive title.

Jodie Burrage admitted nerves got the better of her on her Centre Court debut as she tumbled out of Wimbledon in front of David Beckham.

Former England captain Beckham watched from the Royal Box as Britain’s Burrage was routed 6-0 6-2 by Russian 11th seed Daria Kasatkina.

“It was a good experience. Obviously not the result that I wanted. The first set was pretty brutal,” said Burrage, 24.

“But all in all, you dream to be out on Centre Court. When I found out yesterday, it’s so exciting.

“In the same breath, you’ve got to deal with those nerves as well. I wish I could have settled a little bit earlier today. But you’ve got to go through these experiences to feel more comfortable in the next ones.

“So, yeah, it was a tough day, but also one of my dreams come true.”

Burrage arrived on court with high hopes after reaching the Nottingham final last month and then knocking out Caty McNally on Monday for her first win at a grand slam and a likely place in the top 100.

But she found herself staring down the barrel of a humiliating ‘double-bagel’ in the second round after dropping the first set without winning a game in 19 chastening minutes.

Kasatkina held again at the start of the second before Burrage finally got on the board, raising her arms in mock celebration in front of the Royal Box.

Bear Grylls, also watching from the posh seats, would have enjoyed the survival skills on display as Burrage went on to clinch a break of serve to lead 2-1.

But she was unable to hold serve before a rain delay and, despite some admirable resistance upon the resumption, Kasatkina clinically closed out the match in exactly one hour.

“I mean, having the people who were in that box out there watching you. I actually didn’t see who was in there,” added Burrage.

“When you’re on the court, it’s hard to see who is in there. You don’t want to really look and stare.

“Then during the rain delay, they obviously had the cameras around, and in the room we’re in I obviously saw David Beckham was announced. ‘Oh my God, David Beckham is watching me play tennis right now’. And I was at 6-0, 2-2.”

Arthur Fery showed his potential on his Wimbledon debut despite a straight-sets loss to third seed Daniil Medvedev.

The 20-year-old, ranked 391, matched his illustrious opponent in the first set before a rain delay disrupted things and eventually fell to a 7-5 6-4 6-3 loss.

Fery has followed Cameron Norrie’s route to professional tennis by taking a scholarship to a US college – Stanford in his case – and is likely to decide later this year whether to complete his degree or pursue his sporting dreams immediately.

His natural touch and willingness to come to the net make him well suited to grass and he looked at home on Court One straight away after a rain shower delayed the start.

Fery, who has French parents but grew up in Wimbledon, won his opening two service games to love and forced a break point on the serve of Medvedev – playing his first match at the All England Club since 2021 after last year’s ban.

It was the Russian who made the first move with a break for 3-2 but Fery delighted the crowd by hitting straight back, prompting his excited father Loic – owner of French top division football club Lorient – to leap from his seat punching the air.

Fery held his own until 5-5 when rain again began to fall, calling into serious question the organisers’ decision not to close the roof.

Still it stayed open, and the delay did not help Fery as he dropped his serve on the resumption before Medvedev, who was returning from metres behind the baseline, clinched the opening set.

Listed at a generous 5ft 8in on the ATP website, Fery was giving away nearly a foot to his opponent and Medvedev began to make his longer levers count, drawing more errors from his young opponent.

The third seed was by a long way the highest-ranked player Fery, making his tour level debut, had ever faced, and he was bidding to defeat a top-100 player for the first time.

Medvedev saved a break point in a long service game at 1-2 in the second set before breaking Fery again, but back came the young Londoner.

The disappointment for Fery was that, having given himself a chance in the set by pulling back to 4-4, he was then broken again.

The 20-year-old recalled watching Medvedev’s US Open triumph in 2021 on his phone on the Tube while travelling back from a music festival, but he continued to do a good job of narrowing the gulf between them in the third set.

Medvedev was playing his part in that, too, with more errors than he would have liked but he succeeded in finding a way past Fery, who left the court to loud cheers.

Medvedev admitted he was unsure how he would be received, saying: “I was pretty nervous. I didn’t play here for two years.

“I didn’t know which reception I would get and it was unbelievable. I’m not loved everywhere for who I am, sometimes I get crazy on the court.

“It was an amazing feeling to be back here. I’m going to be loving my time here. Hopefully I can prolong it as long as possible.”