Tennis fans in macs and under umbrellas in queue for Wimbledon’s middle Sunday

Tennis fans have donned macs and put up their umbrellas in the queue for Wimbledon as the tournament hosts matches on the middle Sunday for just the second year. Forecasters had warned of heavy rain between 9am and 10am, and then again around midday, on Sunday in south-west London but conditions have remained relatively dry so far. According to the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) there were more than 5,000 people in the queue just before 10am. Hopeful spectators said they are undaunted by the possibility of showers. Two people near the front of Sunday’s queue, standing under an umbrella to shelter from light drizzle, told the PA news agency that rain poses ‘no problem’. Ilaria, 28, and Lorenzo, 31, from Italy, when asked if they were worried about getting wet, said: ‘No problem. Zero.’ The pair are attending to cheer on Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini. It is their first time at Wimbledon and before the gates had even opened they were already saying they will come back next year. ‘I think it is one of five most beautiful days of our lives,’ Lorenzo said. Sara Murphy, 34, and Joseph Murphy, 13, from Liverpool, told PA they were similarly unbothered by warnings of further rain. Ms Murphy said she was ‘prepared for the weather’ as she sat in the queue under a large black umbrella. Joseph, when asked if he was concerned about the rain, said he ‘never got told’ of potential bad weather but denied having second thoughts about attending the tournament as they have secured wristbands for the roofed Centre Court. Asked if they were disappointed about the fact that no British singles players will be competing for the title, Ms Murphy said: ‘We’re only here for Djokovic.’ Hopes of a British Wimbledon champion ended at SW19 after no UK players made it through to Sunday’s fourth round. Katie Boulter was beaten by last year’s champion Elena Rybakina in the third round on Saturday night. But Boulter will play again in the second round of the mixed doubles on Sunday, partnering up with her boyfriend, Australian player Alex De Minaur. Sunday could also see an awkward encounter when Ukrainian Elina Svitolina plays Belarusian Viktoria Azarenka. The Ukrainian has refused to shake hands with a Belarusian opponent before. Svitolina was beaten by Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open in June and walked straight past her opponent at the end of the match. Sabalenka stood at the net waiting for a handshake and there were loud boos as Svitolina walked straight past her without acknowledging her. The Ukrainian player had previously urged tennis to focus on the suffering in Ukraine rather than issues the war is causing within the sport.