(Tennis news) Andy Murray and Stefanos Tsitsipas will play at the centre court for the first time since their heated confrontation at the 2021 US Open, during which Murray became enraged when the Greek took an eight-minute bathroom break. The top-ranked female athlete in the UK, Katie Boulter, competes the day after a protester disrupted her previous match.
On day four, fellow countrymen Liam Broady and Jan Choinski will also compete, and Elena Rybakina will continue to defend her championship. Rybakina’s match against French world number 74 Alize Cornet is followed by Murray and Tsitsipas on Centre Court.
Two years ago, Andy Murray, then 36, was defeated by Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round of the US Open. Prior to the decisive set, the Greek had a lengthy restroom break. Tsitsipas, who lost to Murray in their lone previous meeting last year in Stuttgart, claimed the situation was resolved after his opening-round victory at Wimbledon.
“We had to play Laver Cup together in the same team. I’ve forgotten about it. He has forgotten about it,” Stefanos Tsitsipas said.
Andy Murray was nearing retirement during the Laver Cup and was ranked 112th in the world. Since then, though, he has broken back into the top 50 and experienced a successful build-up on grass.
“He’s someone that I respect,” said Tsitsipas. “He has done great things in tennis. I’m looking forward to this match. That court over there is almost like his living room.”
Murray, who defeated fellow countryman Ryan Peniston on Centre Court on Tuesday in the 1st round, had more time to prepare than Tsitsipas, who lost to Austrian Dominic Thiem in five sets over the course of two days when weather forced the match to be extended until Wednesday evening. Tsitsipas did, however, add that following the match, his body felt ok.
“My body feels good. I know it was a five-setter, but I feel like there isn’t any soreness or any major fatigue on my body right now,” Stefanos Tsitsipas said.
On Friday, it will be ten years since Murray defeated Novak Djokovic to win Wimbledon for the first time. Tsitsipas, who was 14 at the time, has fond memories of that day.
“A few years ago I witnessed his first Wimbledon title and thinking about it now gives me goosebumps, I felt what he went through, and every time I watch that moment it gives me shivers all over my body,” Andy Murry said.
Before Murray’s match on Thursday, fellow Briton Broady will face a tough challenge in the form of Norwegian fourth seed Casper Ruud, who reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2021.
Boulter faces Viktoriya Tomova for a place in the third round, while Choinski continues his surprise run at the All England Club with tricky opposition in the form of Polish top-20 player Hubert Hurkacz.
Men’s third seed Daniil Medvedev takes on Frenchman Adrian Mannarino on Court Two in the second round, while German 19th seed Alexander Zverev will only be playing his first-round match after his encounter with Dutch player Gijs Brouwer was postponed two days in a row.
Also read: Top matches at Wimbledon 2023 on Day 1
