Wimbledon: Roger Federer returns, Serena Williams absence explained, why Andy Murray might not be last on Centre Court

Roger Federer walks onto court during the Centre Court Centenary Celebration last year.

Wimbledon will celebrate Roger Federer’s achievements at the All England Club with a special ceremony on Centre Court on Tuesday.

The eight-time champion, who announced his retirement last September, will visit the scene of many of his greatest moments and be honoured before the start of play. Chief executive Sally Bolton announced the news, saying: “I’m pleased to say that Roger will be with us tomorrow and we will have a special celebratory moment on Centre Court before play starts just to honour him as the man holding the most gentlemen’s singles titles here at Wimbledon. For those lucky enough to have a seat on Centre Court tomorrow I’d encourage them to get into their seats about 1.15pm and we’ll have a moment just to celebrate his achievements and to say thank you for all the memories.”

Federer has mostly stayed away from tennis since bowing out in emotional scenes at the Laver Cup in London but was similarly honoured at the grass-court event in Halle, Germany last month. His last match at Wimbledon came in 2021 when, struggling with knee trouble, he lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals. He also visited the club last year as part of the celebrations to mark 100 years of Centre Court.

Bolton revealed that Serena Williams, who bowed out a few weeks earlier at the US Open, had also been invited but was unable to travel. “We invited Serena similarly this year but she’s pregnant so understandably couldn’t travel,” said Bolton. “We of course wish her lots of luck with the remainder of her pregnancy and we hope maybe we might see her next year.”

Andy Murray plays his first match on Tuesday against fellow Brit Ryan Peniston.

As the gates opened on Monday morning, fans faced enhanced bag searches as organisers bid to prevent Just Stop Oil staging a protest at Wimbledon. Banned items this year include cable ties, glue, chains and padlocks and powder substances, while there will be selected body searches and police spotters among the crowd. Sporting events have been prime targets for environmental protesters, with the Lord’s Ashes Test disrupted last week following similar instances at the World Snooker Championship and the Gallagher Premiership rugby final.

Bolton said: “We are very committed to being environment positive and it’s important that we recognise the context. It really shapes a lot of the things that we do here. Of course we’ve taken account of what we’ve seen elsewhere so security has been uplifted in various places around the grounds. We can’t guarantee anything but we’re extremely confident that the measures we’ve got in place are the right measures and we’re ready to deal with something if it happens.”

The chief executive, meanwhile, offered Andy Murray no guarantees that he will not play his matches last on Centre Court, which has become the norm in recent years. Changes to the schedule mean the final contests on Centre Court are now routinely bringing the roof into play.

Bolton said: “It’s always challenging to try and fit all of the pieces of the jigsaw together. Andy is of course a hugely popular figure, particularly in the UK, so the ability to show him at prime-time in the UK is one that’s obviously hugely appealing. But we take on board all the feedback on scheduling and try our very best to keep everybody as happy as we can.”

Murray opens his campaign on Tuesday against fellow British player Ryan Peniston.