Bathroom row with Murray ‘forgotten’ – Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas says a row with Andy Murray over bathroom breaks is “forgotten” as he prepares to take on the Briton at Wimbledon on Thursday.

“I think it has been settled already a long time ago,” Tsitsipas said.

British women’s number one Katie Boulter plays a day after a protester interrupted her previous match.

Compatriots Liam Broady and Jan Choinski are also in action on day four, while Elena Rybakina will continue her title defence.

Murray and Tsitsipas follow Rybakina’s match against French world number 74 Alize Cornet on Centre Court.

In the first round of the US Open two years ago, Murray, 36, lost in five sets to Tsitsipas after the Greek took a lengthy bathroom break before the deciding set.

Murray said after the match the incident was “a joke” and that he had “lost a lot of respect” for his opponent.

Tsitsipas, who lost to Murray last year in Stuttgart in their only other encounter, said after his opening-round win at Wimbledon the matter was over.

“We had to play Laver Cup together in the same team. I’ve forgotten about it. He has forgotten about it,” the fifth seed said.

At that time, Murray was ranked 112th in the world and still recovering from serious hip injury that left him facing retirement but he has since broken back into the world’s top 50 and had a positive build-up on grass.

“He’s someone that I respect,” said Tsitsipas. “He has done great things in tennis. I’m looking forward to this match. That court over there is almost like his living room.”

Murray has had an extra day to prepare than Tsitsipas, having beaten compatriot Ryan Peniston on Centre Court on Tuesday, while Tsitsipas was taken to five sets by Austrian Dominic Thiem in a match played over two days after rain delayed the conclusion until Wednesday evening.

Tsitsipas did, however, add his body was feeling fine after the match.

“My body feels good. I know it was a five-setter, but I feel like there isn’t any soreness or any major fatigue on my body right now,” he said.

On Friday it will be the 10-year anniversary since Murray beat Novak Djokovic to win Wimbledon for the first time and it is an occasion Tsitsipas, who was 14 at the time, remembers well.

“A few years ago I witnessed his first Wimbledon title and thinking about it now gives me goosebumps, I felt what he went through, and every time I watch that moment it gives me shivers all over my body,” he said.

Before Murray’s match on Thursday, fellow Briton Broady will face a tough challenge in the form of Norwegian fourth seed Casper Ruud, who reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2021.

Boulter faces Viktoriya Tomova for place in the third round, while Choinski continues his surprise run at the All England Club with tricky opposition in the form of Polish top-20 player Hubert Hurkacz.

Men’s third seed Daniil Medvedev takes on Frenchman Adrian Mannarino on Court Two in the second round, while German 19th seed Alexander Zverev will only be playing his first-round match after his encounter Dutch player Gijs Brouwer was postponed two days in a row.

Still catching up to do at SW19

Following the cancellation of all play on the outdoor courts on Tuesday, Wednesday was once again hit by rain delays with a daunting 87 scheduled matches to get through.

Play got under way at around 12:30 BST and, but for one 30-minute blip around two hours later, continued throughout the day.

However, several players still saw their matches incomplete or chalked off the order of play with 56 of the scheduled matches seen through to their conclusion and 31 cancelled.

The weather forecast shows much better conditions on Thursday with no rain scheduled and organisers will hope they can get the tournament fully up to speed.

The doubles will also get under way with Britain’s Jamie Murray and New Zealand partner Michael Venus in action in the men’s, while fellow Britons Jodie Burrage and Emily Appleton team up in the women’s doubles.