Wimbledon 2024 LIVE: Reaction as Jack Draper beats Elias Ymer in fifth set under Centre Court roof
Draper wins under the Centre Court roof after Andy Murray withdrew from the singles and Marketa Vondrousova became the first women’s champion to lose in the opening round in 30 years
British No 1 Jack Draper stepped into the spotlight after Andy Murray withdrew from his final Wimbledon singles match due to injury, with the 22-year-old earning a gritty five-set win over qualifier Elias Ymer under the roof on Centre Court.
Murray was scheduled to face Tomas Machac but the two-time champion announced on Tuesday morning that he had withdrawn having not made sufficient recovery following an operation on a spinal cyst 10 days ago.
Earlier, defending champion Marketa Vondrousova crashed out of Wimbledon after suffering a shock first-round defeat to unseeded Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on her return to Centre Court.
Elsewhere, day two saw Novak Djokovic cruise past Vit Kopriva 6-1 6-2 6-2. A mammoth 11 British players were in action, with Katie Boulter victorious and setting up an intriguing clash with British No 2 Harriet Dart on Thursday.
Follow all the latest updates and live scores from Wimbledon below:
Novak Djokovic answers Wimbledon injury question but bigger issues remain
All eyes are usually on Novak Djokovic when he steps on to Centre Court at Wimbledon but this time, they were trained on one specific body part – his right knee.
On June 5, less than four weeks ago, the 24-time grand slam champion went under the knife after suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee during a fourth-round win over Francisco Cerundolo at the French Open. The idea that he would be fit enough to play at the All England Club and try to reclaim the trophy that was so ruthlessly ripped from his grasp 12 months ago by Carlos Alcaraz seemed not only doubtful but downright fanciful.
Full report below:
Novak Djokovic answers Wimbledon injury question but bigger issues remain
Djokovic obliterated first-round opponent Vit Kiprova 6-1 6-2 6-2 as his surgically-repaired right knee held up well but whether he has the form to win Wimbledon for an eighth time remains under question
Jacob Fearnley ‘super excited’ for Wimbledon clash with Novak Djokovic
British wild card Jacob Fearnley will embrace the special experience of playing Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon after his straight-sets victory over Alejandro Moro Canas set up a second-round tie with the 24-time grand slam champion.
Fearnley only finished his five-year stint at Texas Christian University (TCU) in May and was ranked outside the top 500 until he won an ATP Challenger event in Nottingham as a qualifier last month.
It helped earn the 22-year-old from Scotland a wild card for this year’s Championships and despite being distracted by Djokovic’s score on a screen outside Centre Court, he marked his debut at the All England Club with a 7-5 6-4 7-6 (12) victory on a buoyant Court Eight.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t watching the scores on Centre Court. It was getting in my head a little bit that I was going to have to play him,” Fearnley said.
“Yeah, it’s going to be a little bit intimidating, but it’s a match that I’m super excited for. It’s the biggest match of my career so far. Just to be able to share the court with a player like that will be really special.
“I’ve watched so many videos of him. It doesn’t look like there’s many flaws in his game. I’m going to just try and enjoy it, put my game out on the court and see what happens. I don’t think there’s many tactics going into the match.”
Jacob Fearnley ‘super excited’ for Wimbledon clash with Novak Djokovic
Fearnley admitted to being distracted by Djokovic’s score during his debut win at Wimbledon.
Katie Boulter battles through tricky first round to set up Battle of Britain at Wimbledon
With one sweeping backhand passing shot down the line, British No 1 Katie Boulter sauntered through to the second round at Wimbledon on Tuesday evening.
The 27-year-old had enjoyed a terrific season so far, defending her title in Nottingham and earning the biggest trophy of her career in San Diego in February. En route to that second crown in Nottingham a few weeks back, Boulter battled through a tight and contentious three-set match against British No 2 Harriet Dart, in which Dart labelled the chair umpire “embarrassing” and wagered £50,000 that an overruled line-call went against her.
Get the popcorn ready because, enthrallingly, it is Dart who Boutler faces in round two on Thursday.
“Playing a Brit in the UK on the grass is never an easy draw,” Boulter said of the all-British match-up. “I’m expecting an absolute battle. But it’s about playing the tennis ball, not the person.”
Full report below:
Boulter battles through tricky first round to set up Battle of Britain at Wimbledon
The British No 1 was made to work hard but set up a tantalising encounter against British No 2 Harriet Dart
Cameron Norrie returns to winning ways with straight-sets success at Wimbledon
Cameron Norrie set aside recent grass-court struggles to ease into the second round of Wimbledon with a straight-sets success over tournament debutant Facundo Diaz Acosta.
The unseeded 28-year-old entered Court Three seeking to rediscover the form which brought a run to the semi-finals at the All England Club in 2022.
He answered his critics following first-round exits at Queen’s and Eastbourne – on the back of suffering a similar fate at the French Open – with a 7-5 7-5 6-3 win which sets up a round-two showdown with British number one Jack Draper.
“He’s a really good friend of mine,” Norrie, speaking on court, said of Draper.
“We’ve practised together so many times and we always have high-level practices and we always have positive energy.
“I always want him to do well. I would love to play him at Wimbledon, it would be a special one.”
Cameron Norrie returns to winning ways with straight-sets success at Wimbledon
The unseeded 28-year-old won 7-5 7-5 6-3.
Jack Draper steps into the Wimbledon void as Andy Murray departs centre stage
Under the roof on Centre Court, the symbolism felt a little too obvious. As Andy Murray departed the stage, forced to withdraw on the morning of his final Wimbledon singles match, up stepped Jack Draper, the new British No 1.
And while a scrappy, often unconvincing five-set win over the qualifier Elias Ymer hardly felt like the triumphant start of a new era for British tennis at Wimbledon, it was reminiscent of something else. The Centre Court crowd had come for Murray - Draper said so himself - but still saw a display of heart and grit from the 22-year-old. As Murray proved countless times during his golden years, success at Wimbledon is built on such qualities.
It may have been a fitting tribute to his idol, but as Draper thumped a final serve out wide on match point and smacked a ball high into the rafters on Centre Court, this was a victory that was met with more relief and frustration than outright celebration.
Clearly, a fifth-set decider was not the plan for the 29th seed Draper, expected to dispatch an opponent ranked outside the world’s top 200 who had only played two tour level matches this year. He will be aiming higher after returning to the second round, against the former British No 1 and Wimbledon semi-finalist Cameron Norrie.
Report from Centre Court
Jack Draper steps into the Wimbledon void as Andy Murray departs centre stage
The British No 1 came through in five sets against the qualifier Elias Ymer 3-6 6-3 6-2 4-6 6-3 in a fitting tribute to his idol under the roof on Centre Court
Wimbledon order of play and Wednesday’s schedule
CENTRE COURT - SHOW COURT - 13:30 START
Alexandre Muller (FRA) vs Daniil Medvedev [5] 1
Naomi Osaka (JPN) vs Emma Navarro (USA) [19] 2
Jannik Sinner (ITA) [1] vs Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 3
No.1 COURT - SHOW COURT - 13:00 START
Anca Todoni (ROU) vs Coco Gauff (USA) [2] 1
Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) [3] vs Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) 2
Emma Raducanu (GBR) vs Elise Mertens (BEL) 3
Full order of play below:
Wimbledon order of play and Wednesday’s schedule
Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff take to Court No 1 for their second-round matches
Jack Draper, speaking after his win:
“I really enjoyed it, to play in front of you guys, I missed it last year. You probably wanted to see Andy out here but you were stuck with me instead.
“It really helped me out here, there were some nervy moments, I appreciate the support it means a lot.
On filling in for Andy Murray: “What an honour, honestly! I wouldn’t be here without Andy, such a guy off the court, so genuine, so kind, what a champion and what a competitor.”
Wimbledon 2024: GAME, SET AND MATCH - Jack Draper 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6 6-3 Elias Ymer
The British No 1 is through in five sets - after three hours and 17 minutes!
Draper seals it in style, starting the final game with two aces, and Ymer nets on the forehand to bring up three match points!
A backhand winner bang on the baseline gets it done for Draper!
The 22-year-old receives a gigantic roar from the Centre Court crowd! He’s in the second round!
The relief will be huge...
Wimbledon 2024: *Jack Draper 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6 5-3 Elias Ymer
Ymer holds... just.
Draper is on the charge from the off, finishing the first point at the net, but he goes a tad long at 0-30 and a tad wide at 15-30.
Ymer serves big at 30-30 and then Draper misses a fairly routine backhand volley!
Will it matter? Draper now serves for the match!
Wimbledon 2024: Jack Draper 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6 5-2 Elias Ymer*
He’s almost there now...
A huge first serve followed by a delicate backhand volley takes him to 30-0 - and an ace takes him to three game points, before Ymer produces a stunner of a forehand pass on the run!
It doesn’t matter. The Swede then goes long on return - and the Brit is now just one game away!
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