Wimbledon: Nadal and Murray on Centre Court on Monday

With play due to start at 1200 BST on all other courts, external, five-time ladies champion Venus Williams takes on Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan in the first match on Court Two, which also features men’s seeds Gael Monfils and Fernando Verdasco, and ladies’ number four seed Victoria Azarenka.

Britain’s Katie O’Brien opens proceedings on Court Three against Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm, while Court 12 – as well as hosting a Balkans duel between big-serving Croat Ivo Karlovic and Serb Janko Tipsarevic – sees an all-British ladies contest between Anne Keothavong and Naomi Broady.

British men’s number three Dan Cox, ranked 272, plays world number 35 Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine in the third match on Court 14.

Warm and sunny weather presided throughout the Wimbledon fortnight last year, with the translucent Centre Court roof only required briefly to allow the completion of a late Novak Djokovic match with the structure’s lighting system.

The first match to be played partly under cover was the 2009 match between Amelie Mauresmo and Dinara Safina, while Murray’s epic against Stanislas Wawrinka on the same day was the first match to start and finish under the roof.

But this year, with rain also forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, could see plenty more players experiencing the conditions for the first time, including six-times champion Roger Federer.

The Swiss, who begins his quest for a record-equalling seventh title against Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin on Tuesday, has played grass-court tennis under a roof before in Halle, Germany – but not in SW19.