Courts perfected ahead of Wimbledon

Andy Murray is carrying the hopes of the nation as he begins the tournament on a high after his success at Queens.

The withdrawal of last year's champion Rafael Nadal has opened up a route to the final for Murray which could see him taking on Swiss maestro Roger Federer.

Murray appears to have broken the British mould, a Scottish bicep-flexing braveheart ready to put an end to the yearly sporting failure, and his Wimbledon will get under way on Tuesday against American Robert Kendrick.

This year's tournament should see the British weather play less of a role in results, as Centre Court's retractable roof can now be called into action.

In the event of rain, the translucent roof will take about eight minutes to concertina outwards to cover the court.

At this point the air management system will kick in, taking between 20 and 30 minutes to remove condensation from the arena before play can resume.

The roof spells the end of lengthy rain delays and impromptu Cliff Richard singalongs, but organisers have stressed Wimbledon is an outdoor tournament and will only use it as a last resort.

The final decision will come down to tournament referee Andrew Jarrett.

Each day, 45 minutes before the start of play, he will also decide whether to start with the roof open or closed.