Wimbledon: Andy and Jamie Murray, Katie Boulter and Jack Draper headline Thursday | Tennis News

Andy and Jamie Murray, Katie Boulter and Jack Draper will be featured in British tennis' blockbuster at Wimbledon on Thursday.

Two-time All England Club champion Murray will play doubles alongside brother Jamie as he takes time off to recover from back surgery.

“I'm hoping to get a little bit of closure at the end. I just want to play one more time out there, preferably on Centre Court… and feel that excitement,” Murray said Sunday.

“Last year wasn't my last year on tour. I wanted to come back and play. But this year, I don't plan on doing that. My career is coming to an end.”

The Murray brothers are scheduled to take on Australia's Rinki Hijikata and John Pierce, while a second-round showdown between Neil Skupski and Michael Venus is also scheduled.

British number one Bolter has recovered from a poor start to prepare for a showdown with compatriot Harriet Dart, who beat former Wimbledon semi-finalist Tatiana Maria to send Britain through to the second round.

Boulter will be facing a familiar opponent for the eighth time in darts, having most recently won his sixth match against the world number 100 in Nottingham last month.

“It's never easy playing against the English on English grass and it's going to be a huge fight,” Bolter said.

“I think we both know each other's game inside and out, front and back, now.

“We've played a lot of games, but we have to remember the last game we had with her and use that to our advantage in the next round.

“It's going to be very tough. I have a lot of respect for her on this surface. It's one of her favorite surfaces. It's actually her home club. She's been here with her mom since she was very young.

“It's exciting. There are two English people here who are really good at tennis. Yeah, she's going to be a tough match for me. I have to show my best game.”

Britain's No.2 Darts has admitted he would have liked the second round to have been played on one of the show courts.

Dart said: “We're teammates, we've played in big tournaments and we've grown together. We're close.

“Yeah, it's always going to be tough no matter who you play, especially when you're playing the English. But it's great to see that we're all doing well and we're in a position to compete with each other. Hopefully we can do that more in the later rounds.

“She had an incredible year. She played great.

“It's going to be great to play on the big courts. A lot of people will play this tournament many times, but they'll never get the chance to play on the most historic court in history.”

Love is not lost

British superstar Draper faces Cameron Norrie less than two weeks after he overtook him to become the country's men's champion.

“I think we have a huge respect for each other,” the 22-year-old said. “We've trained together a lot and played in the Davis Cup together.

“I wouldn't say we're very close, but we definitely support each other. We definitely have a good relationship.

“Obviously he won't like the fact that I'm England's No 1 now. I'm a lot younger.

“Dan (Evans) and Cam wouldn't be happy with me being the UK's No 1. I think it creates a really healthy competition and environment.

“I think we all have a lot of respect for each other. We all want to see each other succeed and do well. It's nice to practice with him when I can. Of course, we're all competitors, and we're all individuals.

“We want to win. We want to give it our all. I think it's going to be a really tight game on Thursday. For sure, we won't lose love.”

Norrie has had a tough time on grass recently, but he took a much easier route in his debut with a straight sets win over Facundo Diaz Acosta.

The 28-year-old reached the semi-finals in 2022 but was knocked out in the first round at Queens and Eastbourne this summer.

“I would say so,” Norrie said when asked if he would be the underdog in Thursday's game. “Definitely, he's ranked higher than me.

“His performance has been better than mine, especially during the grass-court season. He beat (Carlos) Alcaraz in Queens. I think it's pretty clear that he's the favorite there.

“For me, it's amazing to be the underdog for the first time in a while. I'm looking forward to the challenge. I'll have to be at my best to have a chance with Jack. He's doing really well right now.

“Yeah, it's going to be a challenge playing him, but I'm looking forward to it. Yeah, I can go out there, I have nothing to lose.”

A scary showdown between England's 13th-ranked teams

Elsewhere, wildcard Jacob Fearnley faces a tough showdown with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.

Pierre finished his five-year studies at Texas Christian University in May and was ranked just outside the top 500 before winning a qualifying event at the ATP Challenger event in Nottingham last month.

“Yeah, it’s a little bit daunting, but it’s a match I’m really looking forward to. It’s the biggest match of my career so far. Just to be able to share the court with a player like that is going to be really special,” said the 22-year-old from Scotland.

“I've watched a lot of his videos. I don't think there's a lot of flaws in his game. He just tries to have fun, play his game on the court and see what happens. I don't think there's a lot of strategy going into the game.”

What matches are on Sky Sports Tennis?

Watch all the famous tennis stars play as they prepare for the US Open, the last Grand Slam of 2024. Live on Sky Sports They compete throughout the hardcourt season.

• Hamburg Open (ATP 500) July 15-21
• Newport Hall of Fame Open (ATP 250) July 15-21
• Swiss Open (ATP 250) July 15-21
• Bastard Open (ATP 250) July 15-21
• Palermo Ladies Open (WTA 250) July 15-21
• Hungarian Grand Prix (WTA 250) July 15-21
• Prague Open (WTA 250) July 21-26

Watch the WTA and ATP Tours on Sky Sports Tennis throughout 2024. Stream Sky Sports Tennis and more with a NOW Sports Month membership. Cancel anytime, no contract required.