Wimbledon 2024: Djokovic, Rybakina and Zverev all in action on day eight – live | Wimbledon

Musetti takes the third set 6-3, leads 2-1 on sets, and does so by continuing to read Mpetshi Perricard’s serve, to the Frenchman’s frustrations. He’s winning on 56% of his first serves.

Perricard’s serves are being read by Musetti in this slight rain, and at deuce he has another break point, the first saved, the second saved by a fine backhand overhead requiring all his height. The third by an almighty smash. Six deuces in this game, the final one seeing a big hold completed by a clubbing winner. Five break points saved. It’s 4-3 in the third.

Dark, grey skies now. Musetti keeps the pressure on Mpetshi Perricard with some well-negotiated point-making. He’s a clever player, the Italian and is 4-2 up.

Mpetshi Perricard seems to recover some of his serving mojo to go 40-0 up, and so it’s 3-1 in the third set, 1-1

Musetti now dominant on his own serve, and he holds for 1-1 in the third. Then comes a further break, and an impressive shot to hold for 3-1 in the second set. But…there’s rain coming down. The hoods and brollies are going up.

Musetti lets out a roar as he serves out to level 1-1 in sets, having twice broken the Frenchman’s huge serve.

Mpetshi Perricard wobbling now as Musetti goes up a break, and can now serve for the second set. 5-3, 1-0 down.

Musetti hits back – it’s 2-2 now, and with the sun shining, his greater experience is being brought to bear. Perhaps this contest will last longer than thought; they’ve met before, in Frankfurt, the Italian winning 7-6 7-6 against Mpetshi Perricard. Musetti holds his next service game, too.

Hugely impressive from Perricard in breaking Musetti then smashing through his own service game to lead 2-0 in the second set. He’s on his way.

Perricard takes the first set 6-4 from Musetti. Perricard reads a line call well – the ump had called it out – to set up two set points. The first is miscued, but no doubt about the second, a huge serve gets the job done.

Perricard’s serve is brutal and he blows Musetti away to lead 5-3. He’s quite the prospect, the 20-year-old. Musetti holds the next but he must face that serve to stay in the set.

They go to 3-3, and then 4-3 after a deuce on the Musetti serve. These are both powerful men, and Perricard’s return is powerful, blasted down the baseline, lands a break of serve.

So, Court 2, and Musetti v Perricard, currently going with serve at 2-2. Both have long-haired bearded coaches.

The weather, as it stands, is OK to begin play. It’s grey and cloudy, with rain expected, just like the rest of the summer.

And the Murray fallout continues.

Read Emma John’s diary for your vintage car needs and nicknames.

Padel and pickleball are endangering tennis, apparently. Does racquetball still exist? Elvis Presley loved a game of it.

Two big hitters made it through the men’s singles.

Sunday’s news centred on the departure of Emma Radacanu.

Further singles action on Court 2 will kick us off at 11am:

• (25) Lorenzo Musetti (Ita) v Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (Fra),

• (21) Elina Svitolina (Ukr) v Xin Yu Wang (Chn)

Preamble