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Andy Murray's Thursday night may have involved a doubles defeat on Centre Court at Wimbledon, but that did not stop the grass-court major from offering a fitting tribute to the two-time singles champion and home favourite in London.

Rinky Hijikata and John Peers delivered a clinical performance to overcome Murray and his brother Jamie Murray 7-6(6), 6-4 in a first-round clash. With Andy making what he has said will be his final appearance at the grass-court major, the home crowd offered vociferous support to the two-time Wimbledon singles champion and former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings throughout.

It was not enough to carry him and his brother to victory, but the cheering for Murray did not stop once Hijikata and Peers had wrapped their 88-minute win. Former WTA star and legendary British broadcaster Sue Barker came onto Centre Court to pay tribute to Murray, a 46-time tour-level titlist, before a tribute video was played that featured his great rivals Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, as well as Serena Williams.

Andy, the memories, the matches, the magic - thank you for all of it ♥️@wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Kn04fVgi1w

Despite Thursday's defeat, the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Murray is still set for at least one more match at SW19. He will team with fellow British major winner Emma Raducanu in the mixed doubles, but has said he is likely to retire later this summer. He has been named in Great Britain's team for the 2024 Paris Olympics in late July.

The 16th time was the charm for Emil Ruusuvuori.

On his 16th Grand Slam appearance, the Finnish standout has reached the third round for the first time. The No. 87 player in the PIF ATP Rankings upset 11th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(6), 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-3 on Thursday at Wimbledon.

"I didn't get away far. It was difficult," Tsitsipas said. "I think it could have been a bit different if I won the second set tie-break. But I did try my best, and it didn't work out.So I'm just proud of myself the way I fought and the way I never gave up. I will continue towards the path of getting better."

Ruusuvuori is the third Finnish player, man or woman, to make the third round at The Championships, joining Pekka Saila and Jarkko Nieminen. He hit 41 winners and won 80 per cent of his first-serve points to triumph after two hours and 47 minutes.

Entering the match, Tsitsipas led the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series 2-0 and did not lose more than six games in either match. But Ruusuvuori turned the tables at the grass-court major to advance to the Round of 32.

Holger Rune reacted to an early setback in style on Thursday to book his third-round spot at Wimbledon.

The 15th-seeded Dane rallied for an ultimately commanding 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 triumph against Thiago Seyboth Wild at the grass-court major. Rune broke his opponent’s serve five times across the second, third and fourth sets to register a two-hour, 10-minute victory on Court 18.

“It was good,” said Rune when reflecting on his performance in his post-match press conference. “The first set was difficult. He played very freely, didn't make many mistakes, and put me under a lot of pressure. So definitely I had to adjust on a few things, but I did, and I improvised. So I'm happy with the victory.”

Rune, who equalled his best Grand Slam result by reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 2023, is now 24-13 for the season. Although he is competing as the World No. 15 — his lowest PIF ATP Ranking since October 2022 — at SW19, the Dane will be buoyed by the way he has seen off Soonwoo Kwon and Seyboth Wild on the London grass.

His next opponent will be Quentin Halys. The big-serving French qualifier upset 21st seed Karen Khachanov 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round for the second consecutive year.

History has been made at The Championships and only two rounds have been played.

With Grigor Dimitrov’s 5-7, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victory against Shang Juncheng, there have already been nine comebacks from two sets down this week. That equals the Open Era record for most comebacks from two sets down in a single edition of Wimbledon, tying 1974, 1990 and 1997.

“I kept on believing in myself, in my body, in my fitness, and everything that I have put in throughout these past months,” Dimitrov said.

Eight of the nine two-set comebacks happened in the first round of the tournament. Dimitrov’s victory was the first in the second round.

“I don't think about it because it's the first week of the Slam, so you're looking after your own lane right now. You want to kind of go through this momentum and whatever match you have in front of you,” Dimitrov said. “I for one don't think about it. Even today when I was two sets down, I was just trying to focus on what I had to do in front of me. As I said, it's very difficult.”

Novak Djokovic was not at his best on Thursday at Wimbledon, but he found a way to reach the third round after three hours of gruelling play. The Serbian overcame a free-hitting display from resilient British wild card Jacob Fearnley to earn a 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 win.

In front of a capacity crowd on Centre Court - which was cheering loudly for Brit Fearnley - Djokovic was on course for a straight-sets win when he broke the 22-year-old's serve mid-way through the third set. However, Fearnley roared back to to win the set, overpowering the second seed to gain a foothold.

With the pressure rising, Djokovic responded in the fourth set, increasing his intensity and gaining the crucial break in the 11th game to triumph in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

"It was a great effort from Jacob, he played great," Djokovic said. "I had not had a chance to see him play before until two days ago. There is always an element of surprise and nothing to lose. Playing him at Wimbledon was always going to be tough. Most of the British players grow up being exposed to grass courts, quick surfaces, so they know how to play.

"I thought he served very well. It was very difficult to break his serve. He made me work. I was probably a bit lucky in the fourth not to go a break down. I could have won the match in three but this match potentially deserved to go into a fifth, with the way he played in the fourt. But I am very glad it didn't."

After Lloyd Harris hit a final backhand passing shot wide Thursday afternoon on a beautiful London day, Ben Shelton dropped his racquet to the Court 18 grass and held his arms outward. Not only was the American celebrating a memorable victory, but he was seemingly saying with his motion, “How about that?”

For the second consecutive match at Wimbledon, the 21-year-old survived in five sets. The 14th-seeded Shelton battled past qualifier Lloyd Harris 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(10-7) in a gripping three-hour, 14-minute encounter.

The atmosphere was closer to that of a football match than what you might expect at SW19. When Shelton attacked Harris’ backhand to force an error at 6/5 in the final-set tie-break, earning a critical mini-break, fans burst out into chants of “USA! USA! USA!” It is only fitting it is the fourth of July.

Among those watching from the terrace above were tournament director Jamie Baker, Lleyton Hewitt’s son Cruz Hewitt and the USTA’s Martin Blackman.

SW19 SHELTON ?@BenShelton pushed all the way by Harris 4-6 7-6(5) 6-7(5) 6-3 7-6(7) advances to the 3rd round!@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/acRmjpvKI8

Arthur Fils broke new Grand Slam ground in dramatic circumstances on Thursday afternoon at Wimbledon.

The #NextGenATP Frenchman reached the third round at a major for the first time after Hubert Hurkacz retired from an engrossing clash on No. 2 Court. Fils held match point at 7-6(2), 6-4, 2-6, 6-6 (9/8) when Hurkacz retired due to a leg injury he had suffered just three points prior.

“It’s very tough to win a match like this against a friend,” said Fils in his on-court interview. “We were playing super good in the fourth set. We had some great points, and he was jumping everywhere. I’m really sorry for him and I hope he will recover very quickly. Me, I’m focused on the next round.”

At 7/7 in the fourth-set tie-break, Hurkacz grabbed the back of his right leg after pulling off a full-length dive for a volley. His shot dribbled over the net and Fils missed a very makeable ball into the net to hand the Pole a set point at 8/7. But Hurkacz’s efforts came at a cost as he received physio treatment on the court at spot of his dive, before hopping to his chair.

After the physio further massaged Hurkacz’s leg, the seventh seed returned to court, but appeared severely hindered by the injury. Fils promptly won the next two points before Hurkacz retired from the pair's maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash.

Hubert Hurkacz enjoyed his career-best major result at Wimbledon in 2021, when he reached the semi-finals, defeating eight-time champion Roger Federer in the quarters, which was the Swiss' final singles match of his career. The 27-year-old Pole enters his sixth outing at the grass-court with a 10-5 Wimbledon record.

ATPTour.com sat down with the World No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings to hear about his earliest memories from the All England Club and which traditions he enjoys most.

What is your first memory of watching Wimbledon?
Just seeing the grass there and the whole venue as a kid. Just thinking, ‘Maybe someday I’ll get a chance to play on this court.’ I did watch it as a kid on TV, probably watched Roger winning. The first time I went to Wimbledon was when I was 17 years old for my first junior Grand Slam.

Is there a specific match you remember watching?
I don’t have such a great memory. I think maybe the [Federer 2009] match with Andy Roddick, that one pops up.

When you first played at Wimbledon, what were your early thoughts about the atmosphere?
I think coming there for the first time, I was a little bit overwhelmed by everything. The whole atmosphere, how green it looked, how well the grass was managed and how nice it was to just play on those fantastic courts with so much history there.

The International Tennis Federation has confirmed the men's singles and men's doubles entry lists for the Paris Olympics, headlined by World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal.

The Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Alexander Zverev is also in the singles field, which features eight of the Top 10 players in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Among the doubles teams to watch will be Alcaraz and Nadal, Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Milos Raonic, Daniel Evans and Andy Murray, and Petros Tsitsipas and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Tokyo gold medalists Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic will also compete.

See below for the full men's singles and men's doubles entry lists.

SINGLES

Before the first ball was struck in anger at this year’s Wimbledon, the prestigious Sunday Times Magazine described Carlos Alcaraz as ‘the saviour of tennis’. The 21-year-old got wind of the compliment after progressing to the third round at Wimbledon.

“They’re really nice compliments and I accept them,” declared the Spaniard on Wednesday after seeing off Aleksandar Vukic in three sets to book a third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Frances Tiafoe. "It feels good to hear that, but I don’t feel like the saviour of tennis. In the end, tennis is evolving.

"Of course we had an amazing era with [Roger] Federer, Rafa [Nadal] and [Novak] Djokovic. We’re still enjoying Djokovic, we can’t enjoy Roger anymore and we don’t know what Rafa still may play. We try to provide good tennis. We try to allow people to enjoy it. There are many players who are also great to watch. I enjoy myself when the people enjoy themselves, but I’m not a saviour of tennis or anything close to it.”

Defending champ in the mood ?@carlosalcaraz knocks out Vukic 7-6(5) 6-2 6-2@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/UAe376xtTz

One thing is clear, though; the way the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings Alcaraz plays sets him apart. The repertoire of shots he freely deploys never fails to delight the public, including his famous drop shots.

How can a player prepare to face Novak Djokovic on Centre Court at Wimbledon?

Briton Jake Fearnley has had to answer that question since advancing to the second round on Tuesday to earn a place in the biggest match of his career. According to coach Juan Martin, who was Fearnley’s teammate for two years at Texas Christian University, it has been a team effort.

Fearnley has a big team around him, including Martin, Tennis Scotland coach Toby Smith, LTA coach Mark Hilton and TCU coaches Devin Bowen and David Roditi. The LTA physical staff and analytics team have also been among those involved in helping ready Fearnley for 24-time major champion Djokovic.

“Toby and Mark are very involved still, but even Jake agrees that it's just better for him to have only one voice. All the coaches speak together and I act almost as a filter,” Martin said. “So far, we've all agreed on everything. I just communicate to Jake whatever the team is thinking.”

Before the Nottingham ATP Challenger Tour event last month, Fearnley had never won a match at that level. Now he will step on Centre Court at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to play a man who has lifted the trophy at The Championships seven times.

A lot of the attention in tennis goes to the all-time greats like Novak Djokovic and ascendant stars including Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. But one of the most interesting stories in the sport belongs to 30-year-old American Marcos Giron.

Once a top junior in the United States and a college standout at UCLA, Giron underwent right hip surgery in December 2015 and left hip surgery in February 2016 to repair labral tears. Doctors shaved down his hip bones, which were wearing down cartilage.

More than eight years later, Giron is playing the best tennis of his career and proving that he can compete at the highest levels of the sport. The No. 46 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will try to show that again Thursday against fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the second round at Wimbledon.

“It's been an amazing journey. There are a lot of people to thank for that, but I'm really proud of the effort, the drive and the consistency that I've put in throughout the years. It's tough,” Giron told ATPTour.com. “Professional tennis is tough. You have to prove it every year. There are no handouts. Anybody can win on every given day and it's tough. It's amazing. In the end, I think I've been able to just keep improving over and over and over and keep believing in my ability.

“Of course, there are undulations to the year, it's not always just straight up, but it's kind of like the stock market I think, in a funny way. There are going to be some ups, there are going to be downs, but hopefully in the long run, you're going to be better off.”

Italian Jannik Sinner earned a statement win at Wimbledon on Wednesday when he defeated countryman and former finalist Matteo Berrettini 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-6(4) in an absorbing second-round clash.

Meeting for just the second time, both players ripped the ball from the baseline and looked to gain the first strike in the exchanges. There was little to separate the pair but Sinner drew backhand errors from Berrettini at key times, while he rallied from a break down in the second and fourth sets to reach the third round at Wimbledon after three hours and 45 minutes.

With his victory that came just 27 minutes before the 11 p.m. curfew, the top seed improved his perfect tour-level record against Italians to 14-0.

"First of all we are very good friends," Sinner said. "We played Davis Cup together and we practise together, so it is very very tough we had to face in the second round in such an important tournament. Today was a very high-level match. In three tie-breaks I got a little bit lucky and I take it for today."

????? ?? @janniksin@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/6BoYr1XqJ3

Second seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden are up and running at Wimbledon, where they are chasing their second major title of 2024.

The Indian-Australian duo defeated Sander Arends and Robin Haase 7-5, 6-4 in Wednesday's opening round action at the All England Club. Already champions at the Australian Open and in Miami this year, Bopanna and Ebden are aiming for their fifth team title. Ebden won the 2022 Wimbledon crown alongside countryman Max Purcell.

Up next for the third team in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Race To Turin is German pair Constantin Frantzen and Hendrik Jebens, who overcame Pavel Kotov and Cristian Rodriguez 7-6(3), 7-6(3). 

In other action, a pair of Top 10 seeds suffered first-round upsets. Nicolas Barrientos and Francisco Cabral ousted 10th seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 7-6(4), 7-6(8) while Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten upset fifth seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 6-4.

Eighth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz were 6-4, 6-2 winners against Luciano Darderi and Fernando Romboli. 's-Hertogenbosch champions Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow, seeded 12th, won the all-American clash against Marcos Giron and Alex Michelsen 6-3, 6-2.

Maks Kasnikowski was frantically finishing last-minute homework on a Friday night in his Poznan hotel room. Just 24 hours later, the 20-year-old would be playing the biggest match of his young career.

Kasnikowski, who is taking ‘five to six’ online classes a semester at Uniwersytet WSB Merito, is used to this routine. He brings his computer with him while travelling on the ATP Challenger Tour, watching pre-recorded classes and completing assignments remotely. Speaking with ATPTour.com on a day he finished three exams, the Pole has passed some of his biggest on-court tests at the tail-end of the last two semesters.

“Usually I leave a lot of [homework] for the last moment, which is not good!” Kasnikowski said with a laugh. “I should do it more regularly.”

Kasnikowski won his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in January at the Oeiras Indoor 1, where he dramatically saved six match points in the first round and later beat home favourite Gastao Elias in the final. Kasnikowski’s latest triumph at the Enea Poznan Open marked the third Polish champion in the tournament’s 29-year history, joining Jerzy Janowicz (2012) and Hubert Hurkacz (2018).

The Challenger 75 trophy is Kasnikowski’s biggest career title, made even sweeter by winning in front of a standing-room only home crowd. The common denominator of both title runs? Completing homework assignments with deadlines quickly approaching.

Tomas Machac will not soon forget his start to the 2024 edition of The Championships.

Originally scheduled to face Andy Murray on Centre Court in the first round before the former World No. 1's withdrawal, Machac rallied from 0-5 in the fifth set to defeat lucky loser David Goffin 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6(10-5) on Wednesday.

“It was a really tough match today,” Machac told ATPTour.com. “I’m grateful that I can manage to win this match in the fifth, especially when I was losing 0-5. This match will forever stay in mind.”

Machac had his back against the wall for much of the match, which was contested over two days. Goffin took a 6-3, 4-2 lead before play was suspended Tuesday evening. Machac lost the first two sets and trailed by a break on three separate occasions in the third set.

But the No. 39 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, who did not face a match point, rallied past the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up in three hours and 17 minutes. Both men earned nine service breaks in the match.

Left-handed tennis players have made significant impacts on the sport, often using their unique playing style to their advantage. Here are some of the best left-handed tennis players in history: 1. Rafael NadalAchievements: 22 Grand Slam singles titles (as of 2023), including a record 14 French Open titles.Playing Style: Known for his incredible to...

Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud will partner for doubles at this month’s Nordea Open, the tournament announced Wednesday.

The Spaniard is making a grand return to the Bastad ATP 250, where he has not competed since he won the 2005 title. Already on the singles entry list, Nadal and 2021 champion Ruud will join forces for the first time. The Nordea Open runs from 15-21 July.

Nadal downed the Norwegian in the 2022 Roland Garros final to collect a record-extending 14th trophy on the Parisian clay. Later that year, Nadal improved to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Ruud by defeating him in the round robin stage of the Nitto ATP Finals.

Nadal will play singles and doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he will partner the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings.Carlos Alcaraz. A 92-time tour-level titlist, who has also won 11 doubles titles, Nadal withdrew from Wimbledon in an effort to stay on clay ahead of his final Olympics.

Ruud is competing in Wimbledon doubles this fortnight with William Blumberg.

It may have taken some hard graft, but Daniil Medvedev showed signs he is starting to warm to Centre Court on Wednesday at Wimbledon.

The fifth seed rallied from a set and a break down against Alexandre Muller on Wednesday inside the All England Club’s main arena. After saving two set points to avoid falling to a two-set deficit, Medvedev dug deep for a 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-4, 7-5 second-round triumph.

“It was a very tough, physical match,” said Medvedev. “Alex played well and some moments in the match were very tough to stay in touch with him. I was losing by one set and a break. On grass that is never easy, but I managed to stay solid, always stay in the match and try to fight. Definitely happy with the win. I should have played much better, but it’s okay. When you win, there is a next round to try to do better.”

FIGHTING BACK ?@DaniilMedwed | @DaniilMedwed | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/xrYNxq1xiO

During a light-hearted interview after his opening-round win against Aleksandar Kovacevic, Medvedev expressed his affection for No. 1 Court, where he has never lost a match. On Wednesday, he was attempting to banish the demons of his previous appearance on Centre Court, a three-set semi-final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz last year. The World No. 5 accomplished that task, but it was not straightforward.

For three hours and 21 minutes, Sebastian Korda went to battle with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round at Wimbledon. For a large period of the match, the American cut a frustrated figure. Trudging from side to side at the back of Court 16, the 20th seed could not get close to Mpetshi Perricard’s serve, which is already one of the biggest in history.

At 6’8”, the 20-year-old is the tallest man inside the Top 100 in the PIF ATP Rankings and has the physical capabilities to cause damage on serve. In his win against Korda, he saved all 11 break points he faced and fired a staggering 51 aces.

“Fifty-one? Yeah, that’s a lot…” Perricard said while cracking a laugh after being confronted with his ace count following the match. “It has been a big weapon for my game since the beginning and we have tried to add some [variety]. Not just hitting one serve, but being more consistent to find the different zones. I won the match maybe because of my serve. I will see in two days if I can do the same.”

The World No. 58 averages a first-serve speed of 135mph and has a Serve Shot Quality of 9.4 at tour-level matches this year from data collected by TennisViz. Against Korda, his average first-serve speed was 136mph, with his average second-serve speed 126mph.

Mpetshi Perricard became just the seventh man in history to hit more than 50 aces in a match. Former pros John Isner and Ivo Karlovic are also on the list.