3:03pm Monday 22nd June 2009
© Press Association 2011
The Wimbledon queue is backing Andy Murray to go all the way in this year's tournament.
As a fortnight of tennis, strawberries and cream, and cloud-watching began, Murray carried the hopes of a nation on his shoulders.
The world number three's quest for glory gets under way against American Robert Kendrick on Tuesday.
But the 22-year-old Scot was the hot topic of conversation for people in the queue.
Nicky Joubert, 52, from Oxshott, Surrey, and her children, Jamie, 13, and Sophie, 20, have Centre Court tickets to see Murray in Tuesday's game.
"I think he's got a jolly good chance," she said. "We didn't like his personality when he was a bit younger but now he's OK. They say it's the girlfriend who is changing him for the better."
Mark Hart, a 45-year-old sales assistant from Farnborough in Hampshire, who has been going to the tournament for 25 years, said: "I think the whole country will be behind him. He was a bit arrogant to begin with but we've warmed to him a bit - because he is winning, it makes people happy. With Tim Henman you always watched on the edge of your seat but with Murray you think he will win every game."
With the withdrawal of knee-troubled reigning champion Rafael Nadal, hopeful fans already have Murray pencilled in for a final against Roger Federer a week on Sunday.
Federer will open proceedings on Centre Court today where, barring a miracle, he will brush aside Yen-Hsun Lu, of Taipei, who is ranked 64 in the world.
The Swiss maestro is bidding for a sixth Wimbledon title and a record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title.
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