Two summers ago, Brad Gilbert took up semi-permanent residence in the British writing room, eager for any titbit of information he could glean on Andy Murray. The pair were a month away from a union bankrolled by the LTA, which heralded it as the initiative that would save the sport's skin. Today, on No11 Court, Gilbert will sit as far away from everyone as he can, watching Alex Bogdanovic try to win his first Wimbledon singles match in seven attempts and will not be saying a word to anyone about it.

Only two players have worse records in the men's singles in SW19 but neither Andrei Chesnokov, of Russia, (0-7) nor Patricio Cornejo, of Chile, (0-8) was ever granted a place in the main draw thanks to a wild card. As of today, Bogdanovic, 24, is the least successful invitee in grand-slam history and is ranked No271, 21 places outside the cut-off that had been established by the LTA as beyond which no player should be granted a wild card. (Bogdanovic was No242 when the list was presented to the All England Club for ratification on cut-off day).

When Roger Draper, the chief executive of the LTA, proposed that Gilbert work with Bogdanovic six months ago, it was on the promise of “upskilling” him to the world's top 100. It is no wonder that the American cannot wait for a new gig, one that is likely to follow once the championships are over. Simone Bolelli, Bogdanovic's Italian opponent, has played four times on grass, the 22-year-old is a rising star in the firmament and he will be a significant test of the state of the British No4's game.

Murray has a day of rest before beginning his campaign against Fabrice Santoro, the wily Frenchman. Murray has not been slow to speak the painful truth about the dire situation of the sport here, viewing it objectively rather than through the rose-tinted spectacles that are the most common accessory. One asks Murray about the fact that Chris Eaton, ranked No659, has qualified and his answer is likewise.

“If what I said [that British leaders should be more realistic in their appraisal of its position] made a difference to the way the players are going to be on court and towards me but their results got better, that's absolutely fine with me,” he said. “I said what I felt. The guy [Eaton] is ranked 659, so let's get real about that. He's still a long way from being at the top. Yes, it's a great effort to qualify but I'm speaking generally. I'm not saying to every single player that ‘you're lazy and you don't work hard', but it's just the general feeling in British tennis as a whole. I think the work ethic needs to get better.

“I haven't spoken to many people about my opinions, but if someone wants to discuss it with me, that's fine. I'll give my opinion and I'll go into as much detail as you want to, but I believe that it needs to get better. If anyone is happy with the state that it's in, then I don't agree with them.”

Carrying the standard used to be Tim Henman's prerogative, now it is Murray's. There is a light in his eyes and a lightness in his stride that one has not seen for quite a few months. “The first time I played Wimbledon [2005] I was so excited about everything,” he said. “Every media thing that got requested I was like ‘yeah, I'll do it'. After that it started to get quite difficult because there were a lot of people starting to give opinions on my game and telling me what I had to do to get better. That's when it becomes hard - when you are not used to hearing loads of different voices and hearing about yourself, when two or three weeks beforehand, I was playing in ATP Futures events in front of ten people and nobody was really that bothered about how I was getting on.

“Now, I'm just excited to play again. I missed a huge chunk of last year and this was, for me, the most exciting time of year. It's a slam that I think I can do well at. It was hard last year, but it's made me look forward to this year even more. I just think that when it comes to things like this you have to be yourself and do what feels right to you and kind of be as natural as you can be because if you start trying to be someone that you're not, then it's quite stressful and hard work. It's easier to do what comes naturally.”

Told that Henman has been especially complimentary about him - Henman interviewed his successor yesterday in his debut as a BBC pundit - Murray was asked if he felt he could possibly cope with the levels of adulation and pressure he might be expected to feel these next two weeks? His straight-faced response was, “I don't think I can cope with it at all. Absolutely no chance.” The Scot cracked into one of his mischievous smiles. It could be a fascinating fortnight.

There are two British players on No11 Court. Bogdanovic follows Elena Baltacha, who meets Angelique Kerber, the German. It will be worth holding on to your ticket. In the twilight, Amélie Mauresmo, the 2006 champion, meets Ashley Harkleroad, the American who is going topless in August's Playboy magazine.