Wimbledon 2024 live updates: Latest from day two with Andy Murray out of the singles amid rain delays
Follow live coverage as Andy Murray withdraws from the men's singles on the second day of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships amid rain delays at SW19
Wimbledon recap day one: Coco Gauff draw opens up, Frances Tiafoe rises
Getty Images
Welcome to the Wimbledon briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament.
On Day One of Wimbledon 2024, Casper Ruud returned from 10 days of pain, Aryna Sabalenka changed the complexion of the women’s draw, and Frances Tiafoe made new strides after a long period of difficulty.
The covers are coming off…
Getty Images
The covers are coming off and we’re being told that play might restart at around 1pm BST (around five minutes from now), 8am ET, 5am PT.
Rain delays in tennis: How Paris weather plays havoc with French Open
Getty Images
Conditions matter a great deal at any tennis event and Roland Garros is no exception. Especially given that clay-court tennis continues when there is light rain, so the effect can be especially keenly felt.
At this year’s tournament, the Paris weather was wet and cold. The rain dampens playing conditions and spirits alike, leaving players a little more tired, a little more tetchy. At times, the mood was a bit like a damp summer holiday — with everyone indoors and cabin fever taking over.
When the rains came, the players came off. The crowds milled. The rain continued. The entire venue was in a wet, grey freeze-frame, broken only by the signature terracotta orange — not of the courts, but of the tarpaulins protecting them.
cores on the doors: Men’s singles
No results yet in the men’s, though there are plenty of matches fairly well advanced. First, the Brits and Americans:
- Paul Jubb leads Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-1, 5-3
- Billy Harris lost the first set 6-4 against Jaume Munar, 3-3 in the second
- Jan Choinski lost the first 7-5 against Luciano Darderi and trails 2-1 in the second
- Seb Korda (20) lost the first set 7-6(5) against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard but leads 5-4 in the second
And elsewhere:
- Hubert Hurkacz (7) is a set down on Romanian veteran Radu Albot, 7-5, 1-1 in the second
- Alex de Minaur (9) won the first-set tiebreak 7-6(1) against fellow Australian James Duckworth
- Constant Lestienne is up 6-4, 3-2 on 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti
- 30th seed Tomas Etcheverry leads Luca Nardi 6-1, 5-3
- Yoshihito Nishioka is up 6-2 on Nuno Borges, 5-5 in the second
- Alexei Popyrin took the first set 6-4 against Thiago Monteiro but is 4-5 down in the second
Scores on the doors: Women’s singles
There was one result wrapped up before play was suspended: American Jessica Pegula, the fifth seed, absolutely raced through her match against compatriot Ashlyn Krueger, winning 6-2, 6-0 on Court 2. An early bagel.
The other scores as they stood:
- Brit Harriet Dart leads Zhuoxuan Bai 6-4, 3-0
- Wang Xinyu took the first set 7-6 against Viktoriya Tomova but trails 0-1 in the second
- Cristina Bucsa won the first set 6-4 against Ana Bogdan, 1-1 on serve in the second
- And Laura Siegemund had just wrapped up the set 6-4 against Kateryna Baindl – it’s 0-0 in the second
How drenched fans found big names on tiny courts in Paris
Getty Images
It’s soon after midday at Roland Garros in May, and the covers are back on. An umbrella popped up next to me, and the woman operating it let out a long sigh.
“We’ve been coming here for 40 years, and it’s never been as bad as this,” says Gilly, 70, from London, in Paris with her friend Beverly, 62. The pair had tickets for four days of the French Open, all of which have been heavily disrupted by rain, with one day a near-total washout.
There is something special about these days, with big matches everywhere you look. These outside courts are so close together, you could watch two matches simultaneously.
You genuinely don’t know where to look; standing between home favourite Chloe Paquet in her thrilling win against 32nd seed Katerina Siniakova on Court Seven, and Grand Slam semi-finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime taking on qualifier Henri Squire on Court Nine.
Anyone recognise this guy?
Getty Images
That’s right, Nirvana and Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl is here.
If you’re here, see who else you can spy at SW19! And if you’re not, we’ll bring you all the celeb-spotting news you could ask for.
What do tennis players do at Wimbledon when rain stops play?
Getty Images
“Denis (Shapovalov) was doing some animal-trivia questions with his team and I jumped in on that. I learned that a turtle can breathe through its butt.”
This slightly surreal revelation comes from 2016 Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic as he reflects on how he passed the time during one of the many lengthy rain delays during the 2023 competition.
Rain, as big a Wimbledon preoccupation as strawberries and cream, has been one of the big talking points so far of this year’s Championships.
It’s extremely frustrating for the fans and the tournament when this happens (costing Wimbledon about £250,000/$317,200 in refunds on Tuesday), but what about the players? How do they pass hour after hour when they don’t know if they’re coming or going?
Well, aside from turtle trivia and being on their phone sending messages and watching videos, here’s how they do it — including planning for a Shania Twain concert, trips to the on-site hair salon, and putting together Lego models and jigsaw puzzles to keep the mind active.
