Wimbledon, day 4: Murray brothers ready to join forces after British victory

Andy Murray will take to the court after Britain’s next generation battled for supremacy on a highly anticipated day at Wimbledon.

Murray and his brother Jamie begin their doubles campaign in what promises to be an emotional evening on Centre Court.

Before that, the top two ranked British singles players, both men’s and women’s, will battle it out for a place in the third round, while debutant Jacob Fearnley will meet seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.

The PA news agency takes a look at what’s in store for a busy fourth day.

Match of the day

Doubles usually stays low-key during the first week of Wimbledon, but on Thursday it takes over as the main event.

Andy Murrayin what he says will be his final Wimbledon campaign, teams up with his brother Jamie Murray to a grand slam for the first time.

The duo have won every Davis Cup doubles match they have played together, including the quarter-final, semi-final and final of Great Britain’s memorable success in 2015.

They will face that challenge when they clash with Australian duo Rinky Hijikata and John Peers, but the pair can expect to be supported by a frenzied crowd on Centre Court as Andy’s Wimbledon career draws to a close.

The Battle of the British, Part One

British number one takes on British number two Katie Boulter meets Harriet Dart during the opening match on Court One.

This is the fourth meeting between the two players in the last two years, with Boulter having won the previous three, including two on grass in Nottingham.

Dart’s only win over their rivals came six years ago in Japan but Boulter expects Thursday’s clash to be a tough challenge.

She said: “Playing against a British woman on grass in the UK is never an easy game and I’m expecting a tough battle. I think we both know each other’s game inside out. We’ve played so many matches.”

The Battle of the British, Part Two

After this match, it is the turn of the men of Jack DraperBritain’s number one, faces the man he replaced as the country’s top scorer last month – Cameron Norrie.

Draper has never reached the third round in his two previous appearances at his home Grand Slam, while Norrie was a semi-finalist in 2022 but came into this year’s tournament in poor form.

The pair get on well but Draper claims Norrie “won’t like me being number one”, while the British number two – who has won both meetings between them – has piled pressure on his younger opponent by labelling him favourite.

British watch

Jacob Fearnley The reward for his impressive victory on his Wimbledon debut is a meeting on Centre Court with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.

He will be the sixth British player to face Djokovic at Wimbledon, with Andy Murray being the only one to have beaten him.

But he could take inspiration from the fact that Norrie, Draper and Kyle Edmund all took a set against the Serb before losing.

Lily Miyazakiwho was due to play on Wednesday, hopes to finally be able to face Daria Kasatkina, seeded number 14, in the second round.

Order of play

Central Court from 1:30 p.m.:Jacob Fearnley vs Novak Djokovic (2)Iga Swiatek (1) vs Petra MarticAndy Murray/Jamie Murray vs Rinky Hijikata/John Peers

Court One from 1 p.m.:Katie Boulter (32) vs Harriet DartJack Draper (28) vs Cameron NorrieAlexander Zverev (4) vs Marcos Giron

Weather report

Sunny becoming cloudy in the afternoon, with a high of 21 degrees Celsius, according to the Met Office.