Tennis-Thousands of fans arrive at Wimbledon as Grand Slam begins

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 1, 2024 Spectators arrive at Wimbledon before the start of play REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

By Shrivathsa Sridhar

LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of fans who queued up for hours made their way into Wimbledon on Monday as the year's third Grand Slam began in southwest London.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, top seed Jannik Sinner and women's contenders Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff will all be in action on the opening day while home favourite Andy Murray is yet to take a call on his singles participation.

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 1, 2024 Spectators take a selfie before the start of play REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

Twice champion Murray, 37, had surgery last weekend to remove a cyst in his back which was compressing his nerves had made him lose control and power in his right leg.

"I hope makes it because I don't think he's got much left in him. He's been unbelievable for the sport ... I will be delighted for him to get the send-off he deserves," said Sean Fleming, a fellow Scot who is attending his first Wimbledon.

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 1, 2024 General view of spectators in the stands of court 18 REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

"It's important that he does come back and he does play in front of the crowd for at least one last time."

Sally Bolton, the chief executive of the All England Club, said fans would be desperate to see the 2013 and 2016 champion.

"There's no doubt about that, so we'd love to see him on court," said Bolton, who remained tight-lipped about plans for Murray's expected farewell from the tournament.

"We've got a variety of plans sitting, waiting to deliver but it is very much Andy's call when he chooses to announce that it's definitely his final Wimbledon and ... we should all respect that. It's tough at this point.

"We want to get the celebration right, but it really is for Andy to make that call. We'll be ready whenever that happens."

Seven-times champion Novak Djokovic was also under an injury cloud but the Serb is preparing to return from a knee issue that cut short his French Open last month and required surgery.

"My father is English and my mother is Serbian. We were hoping to see Djokovic but he's playing tomorrow so that's OK. I'm half Serbian so I have to go with Djokovic (for the title)," said Thomas Moynan, a fan from Brussels.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar; Editing by Alison Williams)