Emma Raducanu faces Renata Zarazua at Wimbledon on Centre Court

• Carlos Alcaraz v Mark Lajal and Emma Raducanu v Ekaterina Alexandrova today
• Former British No.1 Heather Watson loses in straight sets to Greet Minnen 7-5 6-4

Emma Raducanu began her Wimbledon campaign this afternoon as she headlined British hopes on the opening day of the world-famous tennis championships.

The 21-year-old is back on the grass in South West London after her injury-enforced absence 12 months ago as she graces Centre Court for the third time in her career.

Raducanu was originally meant to face 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova – a match the 2021 US Open winner admitted she would be the ‘complete underdog’ for.

But shortly before play started this morning, the Russian withdrew from the tournament and was replaced by lucky loser Renata Zarazua.

The 26-year-old Mexican, who won two matches in qualifying before losing in the final round, is ranked 98, which is 37 places above Raducanu. But Zarazua has only won seven matches on grass in her career, none of them at tour level.

Reigning men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz started play on Centre Court as he looks to retain his title in what has been called the most open tournament in 20 years. Alcaraz beat Estonia’s Mark Lajal, the world number 269, by 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 6-2.

Meanwhile women’s third seed Aryna Sabalenka pulled out of the competition hours before her first round match with Emina Bektas, blowing open the women’s draw.

It comes after thousands of fans queued up to get into the All England Club early this morning with some having been camped out since last Friday.

Raducanu is one of seven Britons in action today, but she will be hoping to fare better than Heather Watson who lost in straight sets to Greet Minnen 7-5 6-4.

Other British players involved on the opening day include Liam Broady, who reached the third round 12 months ago and takes on Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.

Charles Broom’s Wimbledon debut comes against three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka on Court Two.

Yuriko Miyazaki plays Tamara Korpatsch, Arthur Fery also has German opposition in Daniel Altmaier and Sonay Kartal will look for her first Wimbledon singles win at the third attempt against 29th seed Sorana Cirstea.

But for Watson, her 14th Wimbledon campaign lasted just one hour and 40 minutes after she was beaten in straight sets by her doubles partner Minnen.

Watson, a wild card after slipping to 199 in the rankings, was the first British player in action on day one.

But the 32-year-old was also the first to depart after a 7-5 6-4 defeat to the Belgian world number 80.

Having trailed 4-1 in the first set, Watson won four straight games to serve for it at 5-4.

The serve let her down badly, though, as Minnen forged ahead while Watson was admonished by her mother, Michelle, for being ‘too lazy to move her feet’.

The second set went with serve until a double fault brought up match point for Minnen which she dispatched to send the former British number one packing.

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Meanwhile for the first time since 2003, Centre Court opened with a men’s champion not named Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray.

Alcaraz, who stunned Djokovic in last year’s final, is now looking to emulate the Serbian and Federer by retaining the title, but he faces a host of challengers and could meet world number one Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals.

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev believes this summer will be ‘the most open Wimbledon championship that we maybe had in 20 years’.

But once again among the favourites – after a remarkable recovery from a knee injury – is Djokovic, who is one title away from matching Roger Federer’s haul of eight on the Wimbledon grass.

Djokovic is not the only player who had a ‘will they, won’t they’ hanging over them heading into the fortnight.

Women’s third seed Sabalenka pulled out of the tournament hours before her first round match with Emina Bektas. She had been among the favourites to secure a maiden Wimbledon title.

Two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka revealed on Saturday there was a chance she could withdraw from the third major of 2024 due to an ongoing shoulder problem called teres major, which primarily affects her serve.

Sabalenka was set to be second on Court One but cut short her practice this afternoon before All England Club organisers confirmed she had been forced to withdraw, with Erika Andreeva handed a place in the main draw as a lucky loser.

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It remains to be seen whether two-time champion Murray will be fit enough to play singles on tomorrow – while fellow Britons Dan Evans and Liam Broady have had injury problems this year.

Murray fans have been queuing since Saturday for the chance to see the British star play what could be his last singles game at Wimbledon.

The two-time former champion has yet to confirm whether he will even take part after struggling with a back problem at Queen’s Club which led to weakness in his right leg, resulting in him undergoing surgery last weekend to remove a spinal cyst.

On Thursday, Murray rated it unlikely that he would be able to play singles, with an appearance in doubles alongside his brother Jamie more probable, but he gave a more upbeat assessment at a press conference on Sunday.

He said he expects to decide this evening whether or not he will make a final appearance.

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Tennis fan Catherine, from Belgium, is first in the queue to see Murray play, and has been there since 10am on Saturday.

‘I’ll be very happy and sad at the same time, because I know it’s probably going to be the last time,’ she said.

The 33-year-old said she has been a fan of Murray for the last 20 years. ‘I’ve been a fan for a long, long time – since he started really. So I really like him, like his playing style. The way he behaves on court was really appealing because I was quite similar myself.’

Scottish mother and daughter Christine Small, 63, from Peterhead, and Lorna Kennedy, 40, from Dundee, have been queuing to see Murray since 9am on Sunday.

‘He feels like one of our own,’ Ms Small said. ‘He’s done so well and he’s just been so good for the sport.

Ms Kennedy said seeing him will be ’emotional’.

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‘I don’t actually care if he just walks out and plays two games and says ‘I’m done’, I’ve been able to cheer him one last time on Centre Court and that would be enough,’ she said.

She said she and her mother feel they understand Murray because he is Scottish.

‘We’re Scottish, so we get him,’ she said. ‘He’s really dry, he’s really funny, but he’s also an advocate for women’s tennis.’

She added he is a ‘good role model’.

Sarah Gilchrist, 37, and Sarah Gill, 38, from Coleraine, Northern Ireland, have been queuing since 5pm on Sunday.

Ms Gilchrist said she is not sure if Murray will really retire.

‘We’ve heard this before, so we’ll have to wait and see it to believe it,’ she said. ‘He said this before, a few years ago at the Australian Open. But I think it could be his time this year to hang up his racket.’

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‘I’ll be very happy and sad at the same time, because I know it’s probably going to be the last time,’ she said.

The 33-year-old said she has been a fan of Murray for the last 20 years. ‘I’ve been a fan for a long, long time – since he started really. So I really like him, like his playing style. The way he behaves on court was really appealing because I was quite similar myself.’

Scottish mother and daughter Christine Small, 63, from Peterhead, and Lorna Kennedy, 40, from Dundee, have been queuing to see Murray since 9am on Sunday.

‘He feels like one of our own,’ Ms Small said. ‘He’s done so well and he’s just been so good for the sport.

Ms Kennedy said seeing him will be ’emotional’.

‘I don’t actually care if he just walks out and plays two games and says ‘I’m done’, I’ve been able to cheer him one last time on Centre Court and that would be enough,’ she said.

Click here to resize this module

She said she and her mother feel they understand Murray because he is Scottish.

‘We’re Scottish, so we get him,’ she said. ‘He’s really dry, he’s really funny, but he’s also an advocate for women’s tennis.’

She added he is a ‘good role model’.

Sarah Gilchrist, 37, and Sarah Gill, 38, from Coleraine, Northern Ireland, have been queuing since 5pm on Sunday.

Ms Gilchrist said she is not sure if Murray will really retire.

‘We’ve heard this before, so we’ll have to wait and see it to believe it,’ she said. ‘He said this before, a few years ago at the Australian Open. But I think it could be his time this year to hang up his racket.’