Andy Murray believes that Wimbledon is likely to be disrupted by a Just Stop Oil protest over the next fortnight in light of the organisation’s numerous protests at sporting events in recent months.
“I think there is probably a good chance of something happening,” he said. “I am not sure how many times I have had somebody run on the court when I am actually playing. It may have been once but I am not sure it has been more than that.”
Murray will play his first‑round match on Tuesday against Ryan Peniston, a British wildcard. The former world No 1 said he was unsure of how he would react to such disruption in light of Jonny Bairstow tackling and then carrying a Just Stop Oil protester away at Lord’s on Wednesday. Murray said he believes in Just Stop Oil’s cause, but not always how they have expressed it.
Wimbledon has notably increased security before the tournament, with even more stringent bag checks than in recent years upon entry to the grounds. The tournament’s terms of entry now bans spray paint, sprays for personal protection and glue.
“I was talking about it with my family the other day,” Murray said. “I don’t know, if somebody ran on to the court and came towards you, what your reaction would be to that because you don’t know who it is or what they are doing or why they are doing it. I don’t know if they would attach themselves to the net or throw something on to the court – they have to be a bit careful going too near to tennis players who have obviously got rackets in their hands.
“I would imagine probably something would happen here. I mean, I agree with the cause – just not always how they go about expressing it. Rather than running on the court, maybe they could do it a different way.”
Despite underlining Novak Djokovic’s status as the tournament favourite at Wimbledon this year, the top seed, Carlos Alcaraz, said on Sunday that he is filled with confidence and he believes he will be able to put pressure on the men’s defending champion after already surprising himself during the grass-court season.
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“I start[ed] Queen’s [Club] with no expectation to win, and I won it,” said the Spaniard, who won his first grass-court title at the west London tournament a week ago. “For me, I feel great playing at such a great level. The confidence grew up a lot.
“Coming here to Wimbledon with a lot of confidence, thinking that I’m able to do good results here. But obviously for me the main favourite is Djokovic. That’s obvious. But my expectations are high. I think I will be able to put the pressure on the other players, even Djokovic as well.”
Elena Rybakina, meanwhile, believes she is ready to attack the tournament after a difficult few weeks. The defending women’s champion withdrew from the French Open before her third-round match because of a virus and, as she continued to struggle with its residual effects, she also withdrew from Eastbourne last week.
Still, Rybakina has been training throughout the week. The third seed said she has completed fewer hours of practice and fitness work than she and her team had hoped but she has done all she can to be prepared for the defence of her first grand slam title.
“I think I’m ready,” she said. “Of course, a lot of good players. First round is not easy always, so I think the preparation we did is good enough. Hopefully with every match I’m going to feel better. Yeah, important just to start and then we see how I feel. I think if I’m going to get more matches on grass, I will feel more confident, of course.”