It's 7.15am as I write and the Centre Court's new sliding roof (about which a chap called Lynam and I used to go on about a bit) is slidden shut because it is raining. Well done Wimbledon, you're the classiest act there is, enough said.

To the tennis itself, four days have gone and the Murray bandwagon has hardly stuttered at all. Yesterday's second round match, in its style, was a minor oddity.

Our fast maturing Scot survived the cheeky chappy wiles of the Latvian Ernests Gulbis with an air of superiority which was truly impressive. They were like a couple of young intellectuals debating their fanciful theories.

Gulbis, as we knew he would, tried out his 57 varieties in the hope of denying Murray his favourite patterns. It gradually became evident that Murray had a more firmly structured game and stronger self belief as well.

He was the Master of Arts and the point was beyond argument after an hour and a half. This leads Andy to a third round match against an emerging Serb, who as a kid was inspired by Andre Agassi. He is seeded 30th, he is a big server and his name is Viktor Troicki. In addition Lleyton Hewitt (reborn) and Andy Roddick also lurk.

Hewitt lifted Australian gloom by playing with the fire and skill he showed in those days when he won Wimbledon and the US Open and was ranked number one in the world.

He was too much for the 6 ft 6 in fifth seeded Argentine, Juan Martin Del Potro, in the match which gripped me the most yesterday. It seems incredible that Hewitt, who has undergone hip surgery, is the only Australian to start in this year's men's draw.

In the women's singles the five times champion and current holder Venus Williams continued serenely, by overcoming Kateryna Bondarenko from the Ukraine.

In her press conference afterwards, Venus I thought gave a hint of how she sees her future. Talking about her opportunity this fortnight of equalling Billie Jean King's record of six Wimbledon crowns she said: "They would be amazing shoes to fill wouldn't they?"

And she didn't try to divert a suggestion from one of the journalists that she might take over Billie Jean King's unofficial leadership position in the game. "She started it all," Venus beamed admiringly.

I felt sorry for Elena Baltacha - the last of the British women in the singles - because if anything she tried a bit too hard and I know it sounds daft to say that.

She sunk backhands and forehands so fiercely against the Belgian Kirsten Flipkins that she might have taken the firs set and then gone on to win the match. When she didn't win that first set it seemed to me that the enormity of her desire overcame her ability to think coolly.

It looked as if she didn't have a plan b, but it wasn't that. She should keep at it and it will come.

I've been telling you about the different sides of many of the players here and here is another one. Did you know that Aravane Rezai of France, who was a gold medallist at the Muslim women's Olympics in Iran, plans to resume her career in Astrophysics when her tennis days are over - obviously not just a pretty face.

Talking of which, pretty faces I mean, from my 'guess who I bumped into yesterday bit?' I met Anna Kournikova's former coach. "Where on earth is the beautiful Anna now?" I asked her. The answer is she is apparently playing Team Tennis in Miami.

I wish she would comeback to Wimbledon, and I bet you do too.

Finally a footnote, and attendance records are up everyday. Yesterday's total of 45,370 was a record for the first Thursday and an increase of 4500 on the same day last year. That attendance brought the cumulative total to 180,960 - that's 19, 558 up on last year. Quite a feat I think you'll agree.