Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu will be in action on Centre Court on Monday
Centre Court celebrates its centenary in style on Monday as Wimbledon opens with two British Grand Slam champions playing in tennis’ greatest arena on the opening day.
Andy Murray has won two championships and an Olympic gold medal on Centre Court, while 2021 US Open champion Raducanu has hopes of emulating some of that success herself in the years to come.
The pair are at opposite ends of their career, with Murray now 35 and Raducanu still just 19, but the hunger is just as great in both players to show what they can do in front of the fervent backing they will get from the home fans at Wimbledon.
Murray and Raducanu will appear on Centre Court on Monday, the opening day of the tournament, following defending champion Novak Djokovic’s opening clash.
Murray, who faces unseeded Australian James Duckworth in opener, has struggled with an abdominal injury leading up to the tournament. This forced him to pull out of the cinch Championship at Queen’s, but he looked very impressive in his previous tournament on the grass at Stuttgart.
While in Germany, he beat fiery Australian Nick Kyrgios and world No 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas on an excellent run to the final, which he lost in three sets to the Italian Matteo Berretinni.
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Highlights of Murray’s defeat to Matteo Berrettini in the final of the Stuttgart Open – his first ATP Tour final on grass for six years
“I played well in Stuttgart,” Murray said. “Gave me some confidence, beat some top players and was right there neck-and-neck with Berretinni, who’s obviously played extremely well at Queen’s as well, one of the top grasscourt players.
“That gives me confidence that I can do well. I think the way that I was playing in Stuttgart showed that the work that I’ve done has been really positive and that my game is in a good place.
“Hopefully the body holds up and if it does, there’s no reason why I can’t compete against most of the best players here.”
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Raducanu insists she does not feel any additional pressure heading into her first round match at Wimbledon against Alison van Uytvanck
Raducanu, the 10th seed, has also seen her grasscourt preparation disrupted by a side strain but took her place in the draw on Friday and will face the dangerous Belgian Alison van Uytvanck, who is ranked 46th in the world.
“The ideal preparation would have been to play a couple matches at each of the tournaments,” Raducanu said. “I feel like it kind of relieved some pressure, maybe because I know I haven’t had the ideal preparation. So now I can just go out there, swing, can’t really expect too much of myself and have fun.”
Centre Court: A venue unlike anywhere else
Murray has enjoyed the best days of his career on the grass at Wimbledon and he knows how special it is to win in front of the home fans.
After some slight controversy emerged over the fact no ranking points are available for winning at Wimbledon, Murray admitted he would give back every ranking point he had ever earned to win his home Grand Slam again. The former world No 1 is eager to see if he can repeat his successes of 2013 and 2016.
Murray kisses the trophy after winning his first Wimbledon title in 2013
The hallowed grass is special for Murray and he admits there is no other place like Centre Court.
“I love playing on it,” he said. “It’s got brilliant history too – probably three of the biggest matches that I’ve played in my career have been on that court.
“I love it. It’s different. It’s unique. You know, I don’t think any of the other majors [have anything like Centre Court]. It just feels different, the atmosphere and the crowd and everything.
“I think this is a place where I feel really comfortable playing at. I like the conditions, I like the surface. Obviously, the support is always brilliant as well.
“I think all of the players that have played on it will tell you the same thing. I’ve enjoyed my time on it and hopefully I can get a little bit more time on it during this year as well. So, there’s no reason why I can’t have a good one.”
Raducanu had to retire with a side strain in the first round of the Nottingham Open
As for Raducanu, she is far less experienced on the grass at Wimbledon but is eager to better her fourth-round finish from last year and get to the latter stages.
“I feel like I’m here to play,” Raducanu said. “I’m just as excited. It’s Wimbledon, you watch it growing up and I’m really motivated and looking forward to just going out there and walking onto the court with the atmosphere.
“My motivation is always high, especially at Wimbledon. I think that it’s tough not to be motivated to play here. It’s my home slam, I feel like the crowd is going to be incredible. Just walking around, you’ve got a special feeling.”
On whether the atmosphere brings any pressure, Raducanu said: “I think that probably helps, if anything, because you know you’ve got that many people behind you. And whatever court I play on, I think that it’s going to be a great atmosphere and something that I just cherish.”
Standout ties in Murray and Raducanu’s path
First round – James Duckworth
Second round – John Isner
Third round – Jannick Sinner
Fourth round – Carlos Alcaraz
Quarter-final – Novak Djokovic
Semi-final – Hubert Hurkacz
Final – Rafael Nadal
Defending champion Djokovic begins his quest for a seventh title and 21st Grand Slam title against South Korea’s Kwon Soon-woo.
Second seed Rafael Nadal, who is set to make his first appearance at Wimbledon since 2019 and is halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam, faces Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in the first round.
On the women’s side, Serena Williams has the chance to ease into the tournament against world No 113 Harmony Tan while top seed Iga Swiatek opens her campaign against Croatian qualifier Jana Fett.
Murray will be happy with his side of the draw having avoided some of the big names, although a potential second-round meeting against John Isner is on the cards.
First round – Alison van Uytvanck
Second round – Caroline Garcia/Lily Miyazaki
Third round – Madison Keys
Round of 16 – Danielle Collins
Quarter-final – Ons Jabeur
Semi-final – Anett Kontaveit
Final – Iga Swiatek/Barbora Krejcikova/Paula Badosa
If she advances past Van Uytvanck, Raducanu could take on another British player, Yuriko Miyazaki, in the second round, with Katie Swan also drawn in the same section.
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