18 players pull out

The first result of the day is in - and it's bad news for a Brit.

Mika Stojsavljevic loses 6-2, 6-1 to Belinda Bencic.

There was at least one nice moment for the 17-year-old when she held serve in the second set to avoid being bagelled by the 11th seed.

But unfortunately the first player to lose is a home hope, and it's not looking good for Felix Gill against Rafael Jodar either.

He trails 6-3, 6-3 although he has just taken a 2-0 lead in the third set.

Wimbledon has been making changes to its gardens in response to rising temperatures.

All England Club CEO Sally Bolton said planting schemes have “changed slightly" in recent years and are set to continue to do so, while it has also invested in more shade and shelter in “certain parts of the ground”.

Bolton said: “As we look forward, one of the areas that we are paying particular attention to is the flowers around the ground.

“The team here are starting to evolve the planting to become more sustainable and think really carefully about what an English summer garden will look like into the future when water is harder to come by and temperatures are higher.

“So the planting schemes has changed slightly over the years, and they will continue to do so.”

It comes after the UK experienced a record-breaking hot spell last week.

Lime bikes are helping to bring a greater number of people to Wimbledon’s famous queue, according to the All England Club CEO.

Sally Bolton said around 10,000 people had arrived by about 8:30am on Monday and that the queues have been growing in recent years.

Bolton told reporters: “I sort of think back to that period post-Covid, where we were somewhat nervous that the queue might die. And ironically, the queue has become increasingly popular over that period of time.

“But also, the way people travel and engage with things has also changed.

“So for those of you that have queued, you will know that the time you used to have to arrive was the first tube into Southfields, but now, with the availability of Lime and other available branded bikes, people can get to the queue much more easily from slightly further away, rather than waiting for the first tube.”

Bolton, who will step down after the championships following six years in her role, said “undoubtedly” the dynamics of the queue has changed.

“We are having to adapt the way that we operate it,” she added. “But we are absolutely committed to what the queue stands for, which is accessibility.”

The first person in the queue arrived at 7:30am on Saturday morning.

Florence Chan, 55, only landed at Heathrow on Friday night after flying in from Thailand.

All England Club CEO Sally Bolton says this year's queue is one of the longest she can remember.

According to Bolton, by around 8.30am today, there were 10,000 fans lining up in the park over the road.

She added: "I'm not sure if it's a record, but it's very busy, you know, by comparison to last year, it is really busy. But, you know, all of the ingredients are there. We got amazing matches. The sun is shining. You know, all of those ingredients to make it so popular. But it's such an important part of what we do, so we'll do everything we can to protect it."

Some fans at Wimbledon today will have spent the last 48 hours in a tent outside the grounds waiting to get in!

And we spoke to some of them in the searing heat on Saturday as they waited patiently for today's play.

One was 85-year-old American Richard Hess, who told us: "There's no other place that you can get close seats on the Centre Court for face value and modest price.

"So for tennis, it's the best for that reason. I also like English culture, history and people. I enjoy that part of the interaction."

Wimbledon's return means the BBC's wall-to-wall TV coverage is back - and there's a few new faces on the Beeb's list of pundits this year, if you didn't know.

Eight-time major champion Andre Agassi will be back for "the climax of the tournament" after being in the commentary booth last year.

Genie Bouchard, the 2014 Wimbledon women's runner-up, will join the team for the first time following successful roles on TNT Sports and Tennis Channel.

Laura Robson, who works for both Sky Sports and TNT Sports' tennis teams, will also link up with the BBC this year.

Recently retired former doubles No. 1 Jamie Murray - the brother of Andy - joins as a dedicated analysis expert.

Kyle Edmund, a former world No. 14 who retired last August, will also take up a TV role.

John McEnroe believes Serena Williams is backing herself to go all the way at Wimbledon as she prepares to make a sensational return to the singles court tomorrow, aged 44.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion "evolved away" from tennis at the 2022 US Open.

But the American superstar returned to doubles action earlier this month – and will now face Aussie world No.87 Maya Joint in singles tomorrow.

Williams, 44, will also play doubles with her older sister, Venus.

The tennis icon says she has nothing to prove and wants the opportunity to play in front of her two children.

But McEnroe claims she wouldn’t be here if she didn't think she could win.

He said: "It’s Serena Williams, who's the GOAT. She's one of the greatest athletes, man or woman, that's ever played a sport.

"So the fact that she's decided to come back after having a couple of kids and having not played for four years is rather surprising.

"She's got a lot, from what I understand, going on off the court and seemed to be perfectly content with what was happening.

"I don't think that she's coming back just because she wants to play or match or two.

"That doesn't sound like Serena Williams. I would guess that she's coming in and she's got a purpose and thinks she can go well or go deep or go all the way."

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