Wimbledon Championships 2017: Murray begins title defence

Britain's Andy Murray will open Centre Court play today as he attempts to make history once again at the 131st Wimbledon Championships. The Scot, 30, begins his title defence against Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in the first round at 5.30 pm IST. Murray, who is fit following a hip injury, hopes to match fellow Briton Fred Perry as a three-time champion. British number one Johanna Konta is also in action on day one, along with Venus Williams and Rafael Nadal. Defending women's champion Serena Williams is absent as she awaits the birth of her first child. The weather forecast for the early days of the tournament suggests little or no rain but play is guaranteed on Centre Court thanks to the roof, which has been in place since 2009. Court One will be even more open to the elements than usual this year as work has begun on installing a roof there in time for the 2019 Championships. And after 647 matches, the two singles champions will walk away with record prize money of 2.2 million pounds while first-round losers will take home 35,000 pounds.