Wimbledon 2025 LIVE: Latest tennis scores and set-by-set updates as Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter in action on hottest Day One ever – with warning sent out to queueing fans

Wimbledon bosses are grooming a successor for SW19 favourite Rufus the hawk to protect Centre Court from meddlesome pigeons.

For 17 years the revered bird of prey has watched the skies at the Championships and there were fears he could go the way of line judges and be replaced by AI.

But chief executive Sally Bolton this morning put paid to the rumours and confirmed that Rufus’ own fledgling will take up the mantle at the world’s most historic tennis tournament.

Asked if Rufus would be replaced by digital anti-pigeon tech, Ms Bolton said: ‘I don’t know that this is correct, but I think we are now already working with the son or daughter of Rufus.

‘It’s a family business.I think we have a succession plan for Rufus.’

An insider confirmed that Rufus’ own eyas was already in training ‘alongside’ him in preparation.

But the father, dubbed ‘The Real Hawk-Eye’, is still running the skies as his 18th tournament kicks off today.

Rufus was famously stolen from his owner’s car in 2012 prompting a hunt across South West London before being found safe and well four days later.

Born in captivity in Northamptonshire, he starts every day at 6am to prepare to protect Centre Court and Court Number One.

A picture of Rufus’ instagram showed him sat on the umpire’s chair on Centre Court this morning with the caption: ‘Hawk Eye, reporting for duty.’

Reporting by Andy Jehring

We shared pictures of the demonstration earlier, and now Mail Sport’s David Coverdale caught up with the men dressed as line judges – relics of a bygone era, unbelievably.

Two London students – Harry Robson, 27, and Gabriel Paul, 26 – are dressed as now defunct line judges outside Wimbledon, protesting about AI stealing jobs.

Robson told me: ‘We are creative students – I am a writer, Gabriel is an art director. We graduate in three weeks and we are worried ourselves about the whole encroachment of AI.

‘The whole idea that these things can be replaced by machines is worrying. It is a wider problem.

‘We have had some former line judges come up to us and say they totally agree and they are pleased we are making a statement. To an extent, Wimbledon has to move with the times, but it is a shame.’

Rain or shine, there’s puns to be had with Kartal, who took this blog’s advice in a major way and has since romped to the verge of set point against Ostapenko.

With a final ace, Kartal takes her final game to love. 7-5, the Briton’s ahead.

Perhaps not a true Britwatch here, but Murray and Alcaraz headed out to the green for the second time over the weekend, with Murray claiming victory in the first outing… and not so in the second.

But while Alcaraz was quick to mock Murray’s showing on Sunday, the two-time Wimbledon champion noted that the young Spaniard’s efforts had been boosted considerably by his coach – and former Murray sparring partner – Juan Carlos Ferrero.

No dimming of Murray’s competitive edge, then.

The former finalist has been candid about the fact that she’s still healing from losing to Marketa Vondrousova in the 2023 final, and has battled through injury and a dip in form ever since her Centre Court appearance.

But things are looking really uncomfortable now, with Jabeur having taken a medical timeout in her match against Viktoriya Tomova, at 3-2 down.

A suitably regal contingent of Princess Beatrice and her husband Edouardo Mapelli Mozzi, and her mother Sarah Ferguson welcome sporting luminaries including newly minted Sir Gareth Southgate, Sir-to-be David Beckham, and Stuart Broad.

The arts are well represented too, by Eddie Redmaybe, Jason Isaacs, Richard Osman, and historian Niall Ferguson all also in attendance.

While not in action today, wildcard veteran Dan Evans will be tomorrow and is on course for a collision with no lesser opponent than Novak Djokovic if he makes it to round two.

But before doing so, he bared his soul to the Wimbledon press pack over the weekend, speakingly movingly about the very real conflicts he has ever continuing his career.

The British No3 has been rising through the rankings and could yet be challenging Katie Boulter for her spot in the British standings, but Sonay Kartal will have to think fast against a charging Jelena Ostapenko.

The WTA trickster is off to the races on No3 Court, having claimed the first three games. Kartal is looking to hold serve for the first time, but at 40-love is thwarted by a flashing return winner off her second attempt.

Kartal would love to get her revenge, having been bested by the former French Open winner just last week at Eastbourne in straight sets.

No time like the present, Sonay.

Sally Bolton sat down with the media this morning, and after the tournament announced they would increase security at this year’s Championships, shed some light on plans:

Whether it’s player security or security of all the people that are here on the grounds, it’s something that is always top of our priority list.

And every year, we are reviewing the security we put in place, both for the athletes and for everybody that’s here, based on the threat and risk profile.

So in any given year, that will change a little bit from the previous years, depending on what we think we are trying to address.

Obviously, what we saw with the incidents with Emma Raducanu, I think brings it front of mind for people, perhaps outside the tennis community,

Sadly, the reality for particularly female athletes in sport is it’s not particularly unusual (to deal with stalkers).

And so those are the sorts of issues that we are fairly well versed in dealing with. I would say that we are always reviewing security.

We’re always enhancing it and putting in place the appropriate measures, whether that’s for the players or for our guests

Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu are among the players that have been targeted this year by fixated individuals, with Katie Boulter recently revealing the scale of online abuse players are forced to suffer.

Former champion Maria Sharapova looks to be back in the stands 21 years on from her Centre Court triumph over Serena Williams.

An increasingly frequent presence at tournaments in recent years, Sharapova can take in this year’s action safe in the knowledge that her status as the women’s singles’ third-youngest winner remains unassailable.

The youngest winner this year would by Iva Jovic, who at 17 years old and six months is two-and-half months off the Russian superstar’s age in 2004.

Sharapova is pictured here, with a fan. Whoever he is certainly looks excited!

With play moments from starting everywhere but Centre and Court No1, here’s an exhaustive rundown of the Brits in action:

OLIVER TARVERT vs Leandro Riedi

Ethan Qinn vs HENRY SEARLE

CAMERON NORRIE vs Roberto Bautista Agut

SONAY KARTAL vs Jelena Ostapenko

OLIVER CRAWFORD vs vs Mattia Bellucci

Leylah Fernandez vs HANNAH KLUGMAN

Alexei Popyrin vs ARTHUR FERY

BILLY HARRIS vs Dusan Lajovic

HARRIET DART vs Dalma Galfi

Ashlyn Krueger vs MIKA STOJSAVLJEVIC

OLIVER CRAWFORD vs Mattia Bellucci

Paula Badosa vs KATIE BOULTER will be second on Wimbledon’s showcourt.

JACOB FEARNLEY vs Joao Fonseca kicks off British action followed by the all-Brit clash between EMMA RADUCNAU and MIMI XU.

Tennis fans joined the famous Queue in sweltering heat this morning in SW19 in what is expected to be the warmest ever start to the Grand Slam.

Many who had camped out overnight were seen with umbrellas to protect them from the sun as forecasters predict today could be one of the hottest June days in UK history.

An update from Wimbledon’s official website on Monday read: ‘Please note there is hot weather forecast for Monday and Tuesday. In both The Queue and the Grounds there may be periods where shade is not available.

‘Please plan appropriately, including bringing water, suncream and a hat. Water refill points are available in the Queue and around the Grounds.’

Wimbledon is debut’ing AI line judges, keeping in step with the rest of the WTA and ATP events save for a fathomable hold-out, Roland-Garros.

While line judges have been recording audio for the robot to call out in SW19, there are few that are thrilled with the innovation.

The players, on the other hand, are another story.

This will prove a popular announcement…

As temperatures soar, the siege of Southfields has already started – and fans being turned away…

Don’t believe me? Mail Sport’s Nathan Salt has the scoop, below.

After nearly a year’s anticipation, I can finally welcome you to Mail Sport’s comprehensive coverage of all the action from the first day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, live from SW19.

And what a returning day it’s set to be. There are a staggering 14 Britons in the draw, with Emma Raducanu, Jacob Fearnley, and qualifier Oliver Tarvet – ranked in the mid-700s and unable to collect his prize money as a college athlete – among those in action today.

They’ll play under bright blue skies and in searing heat, with the mercury hovering around the 34-degree mark at its highest.

But who keeps cool and which players will invariably melt away altogether?

Action on the outside courts starts at 11am, so stick with us as we bring you all the build-up, atmosphere, results, and match action on day one.