Murray Fans Queue To See Their Hero

30 June 2014, 05:41 | Updated: 30 June 2014, 05:42

The second week of Wimbledon fortnight begins today and Andy Murray fans have been forced to queue for over 26 hours to get a ticket for his latest match.

The Scot takes on South African Kevin Anderson on Centre Court and Murray is the bookmakers' overwhelming favourite to win.

Just 500 Centre Court tickets are available for fans in the famous SW19 queue, and those turning up after the early hours of yesterday morning were left disappointed.

A message on the official Wimbledon website at 8am yesterday read: "There are more people in the queue than Centre and No.1 Court tickets for Monday. Please wait until Monday to queue for ground admission.''

Those fans who do make it into the showpiece court look set to see a Murray victory, according to bookmakers.

Coral has the 27-year-old at 20-1 on to beat Anderson, and just 4-11 to win in straight sets.

The odds have also shortened from 3-1 to 5-2 on Murray retaining his crown.

David Stevens, spokesman for Coral, said: "As reigning champion, Andy Murray came into this tournament with an even bigger following than 12 months ago.

"That has been reflected in the number of bets we've taken on him, which in turn has forced his odds down to the shortest they have ever been at the start of the second week at SW19.''

Murray's hopes may have been boosted by avoiding any hold-ups amid heavy rain on Saturday.

Cancellations mean fifth seed Stan Wawrinka could face five matches in seven days to reach his first Wimbledon final.

But when Murray was asked if he could stand to benefit from the rejigged schedule, he replied: ''Not really. I've played many grand slams and sometimes the schedule works in your favour and sometimes it doesn't.

''At least they'll have had a two-day break so they'll be completely fresh when they start. It's just bad luck. It happens sometimes.

''I've had situations where the schedule hasn't worked out. You just get on with it.''

The odds are stacked against Murray's fourth-round opponent, Anderson, but the 28-year-old has been relaxing before the big match by learning to play a musical instrument and enjoying a South African barbecue.

"I've been learning how to play the guitar. That's something I enjoy doing. My mum keeps asking me to play her some tunes, but right now I'm just learning all the different notes.

"I've got a travel electric guitar which I take on the road with me. My acoustic guitar is a bit too big so that's at home,'' he told wimbledon.com yesterday.

After his third-round victory on Friday, Anderson posted a picture of himself on Twitter enjoying a traditional feast with the caption: "A proper South African braai to kick off the weekend right!!!''

Tennis fans at the All England Club today can also look forward to barbecue weather, with the Met Office forecasting "pleasantly warm'' conditions at SW19 with a maximum temperature of 22C (71.6F).