Wimbledon 2024 LIVE: Tennis scores as rain delays start as Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz headline day five

There are covers on the outside courts on a gloomy, damp morning at Wimbledon.

No play is expected until at least 11:30am, but that could be pushed back.

It is the deciding tie-break, and Harriet Dart is losing 6-2 and on the edge of defeat when she walks to the back of Wimbledon’s No 1 Court and begins to cry. Katie Boulter steps to the baseline to begin her service routine, looks up to see Dart’s head buried in her hands, and steps away again. And, whether by design or by accident, whether real or imagined, in that moment this wild match seems to slip from Boulter’s grasp.

The crowd utters a sympathetic roar as Dart wipes away tears, bereft and beaten. Boulter resets. But Dart comes out swinging, winning the next four points to draw level at 6-6 in a race to 10. At 8-8, Boulter’s nemesis all day – her own forehand – sends two balls flying out of bounds, and at the end of three hours of absorbing, error-strewn tennis, Dart has won 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8), through to the third round, matching her grand-slam best. She collapses to the grass and grins.

At which point, it is worth exploring whether this was entirely fair on Boulter. Dart had been emotional throughout, crying at the change of ends earlier in the third set when Boulter had broken back, slamming her racket against her bag in frustration. On several occasions, she chuntered angrily at herself, at her corner, at the grass beneath her feet. Boulter kept her cool and, at the end, offered Dart a gracious hug at the net when she must have been hurting.

After her second-round win over Elise Mertens, Emma Raducanu said she enjoyed following Carlos Alcaraz on Court No 1 and looked to take inspiration from the Wimbledon champion by trying to have as much fans as possible on court.

Raducanu takes to Centre Court after Alcaraz today and said after her 6-1 6-2 over Mertens: “I enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun. I think that when my character shows through my tennis is when I play my best.

“Honestly, me following Carlos, it was pretty cool to watch him play because he has the same sort of demeanor and just enjoyment of the sport. It’s just good to follow and watch.”

Emma Raducanu was keen to play down expectations following her stunning victory over Elise Mertens in round two and says she will relish being the underdog against Maria Sakkari on Centre Court today:

“I think I played very well, but I don’t think it was my best match since US Open. I think I’ve played a few matches that I was personally probably happier with,” Raducanu said after her win over Mertens.

“I’m expecting a really tough match. She’s top-10 or something. It’s going to be a really difficult one.

“It’s going to be one where I’m the complete underdog and I can just enjoy playing in my home crowd, home slam, yeah, just keep having fun and trying to stay an extra day.”

Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, his fiercest rivals, were there for the final moments, taking part in a video message that paid tribute to the competitor and their admiration for the fighter within. Venus Williams highlighted Murray’s support and advocacy of women’s tennis, in praise of his character. When it came to his time to speak, Murray’s voice cracked as he thanked the close team of physios and fitness trainers who were with him every step of his post-surgery career.

Wimbledon is set to be disrupted by heavy rain on Friday as players, fans and ground staff battle the elements.

The UK’s summer has barely got off the ground and the tennis at SW19 has been affected this week by spells of rain and blustery winds.

British No 1 Katie Boulter hit more than 70 unforced errors in a wayward display on Thursday and admitted the conditions were tough. “It was pretty windy. It just didn’t come off the racket today … And I don’t know whether it’s down to wind or just a bit of everything. I’m not entirely sure, but I am human.”

And while there will be more wind on Friday, it is the rain that is expected to cause problems for players and organisers at the All England Club.

Sander Gille (BEL) / Joran Vliegen (BEL) [14] vs Facundo Diaz Acosta (ARG) / Alexandre Muller (FRA) 1

Rafael Matos (BRA) / Marcelo Melo (BRA) vs Nicolas Barrientos (COL) / Francisco Cabral (POR) 2

Lyudmyla Kichenok (UKR) / Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) [9] vs Anna Blinkova / Mayar Sherif (EGY) 3

Neal Skupski (GBR) / Desirae Krawczyk (USA) [6] vs Rafael Matos (BRA) / Luisa Stefani (BRA) 4

Sebastian Baez (ARG) / Dustin Brown (JAM) vs Hugo Nys (MON) / Jan Zielinski (POL) [13] 1

Sebastian Ofner (AUT) / Sam Weissborn (AUT) vs Diego Hidalgo (ECU) / Alejandro Tabilo (CHI) 2

Caroline Garcia (FRA) / Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) vs Marie Bouzkova (CZE) / Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) [10] 1

Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) / Andres Molteni (ARG) [11] vs Petros Tsitsipas (GRE) / Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 2

COURT 18 – SHOW COURT – 11:00 START

Diana Shnaider vs Emma Navarro (USA) [19] 1

Dayana Yastremska (UKR) [28] vs Donna Vekic (CRO) 2

Constantin Frantzen (GER) / Hendrik Jebens (GER) vs

Rohan Bopanna (IND) / Matthew Ebden (AUS) [2] 3