Wimbledon and BBC split over scheduling of Andy Murray’s doubles match

The All England Club have broken with convention by scheduling Andy Murray’s Wimbledon swansong third on Centre Court on Thursday.

Telegraph Sport revealed earlier on Wednesday that the BBC were eager for Murray’s family affair with brother Jamie to take place on Thursday evening to avoid clashing with their late-night election coverage and the Euro 2024 quarter-final between Portugal and France the following day.

All England Club officials had initially expressed concern that Murray be given sufficient time to recover from the back problem that caused his withdrawal from the singles tournament on Tuesday and also considered scheduling the match on Friday, but following talks with the BBC they are happy with the outcome.

The 37-year-old is also content with the schedule, which will see the Murray brothers meet the Australian pair of Rinky Hijikata and John Peers after singles matches between Novak Djokovic and British wildcard Jacob Fearnley, and women’s number one seed Iga Swiatek and Petra Martic.

Murray’s surprise decision to enter the mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu for the first time since playing with Serena Williams five years ago was also a factor in the scheduling. The first round of the mixed doubles takes place on Friday and Saturday so playing on Thursday could earn Murray a rest day. It will be a grand slam debut in doubles for Raducanu, whose only tour-level doubles match came in Washington two years ago.

Murray’s box office appeal led the All England Club to schedule the first opening round doubles tie on Centre Court since 1995, when Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde met Ken Flach and Robert Seguso on the way to the Australian duo winning their third of five successive Wimbledon titles. It is also unusual for Wimbledon to switch to doubles on the show courts after just two singles matches in the opening week.

The BBC will be relieved the Murray match will not clash with their live coverage of Portugal v France in Hamburg, which kicks off at 8pm on Friday.

In another complication, the BBC’s networks will clearly be dominated by the general election on Thursday, although viewing figures do not generally ramp up until after the polls have closed at 10pm. It will be the first time Murray has played doubles at Wimbledon with Jamie, who has often been his partner in the Olympics and most famously in Great Britain’s run to winning the Davis Cup in 2015.

In an interview with Telegraph Sport last week All England Club Chair Debbie Jevans said that while the BBC get an input into scheduling, the final decisions are made for tennis reasons.

“We’ll focus on the schedule that is right for Wimbledon, for tennis and the players,” Jevans said. “The BBC rightly get an input and can give an opinion, but ultimately it’s a tennis decision. We always prioritise the athletes and their health.”