John McEnroe today questioned the decision by Wimbledon chiefs not to give Andy Murray another Centre Court match, leaving the British No1's clash with Tobias Kamke at risk to the predicted rain.
Their match is on No1 Court, which does not have a roof unlike Centre Court, where Murray was able to play his first-round contest against Daniel Gimeno-Traver while the rest of the tournament was halted by heavy rain.
With Murray bidding for his first Grand Slam title, McEnroe thought he would have got more help from tournament chiefs and was left scratching his head when the schedule for the main court was revealed.
The three-time Wimbledon singles champion said: "I'm surprised they chose Andy Roddick against Victor Hanescu because that is not one I see as a Centre Court match. I think it is surprising given the weather.
"I'd have understood perfectly if they put Andy on Centre Court. If you look at all the other Grand Slams, favouritism would be the wrong word, but they help their players out - that is normal.
"It's only natural, for example, in a French event to see a French guy on Centre Court. That wouldn't be anything out of the ordinary, plus Andy is No4 in the world. No one would have said that it was strange to do so. However, No1 is a great court and I suspect that by doing that they are saying they will put other great players like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on there too, later in the tournament."
Wimbledon officials defended their decision today insisting they were "maintaining a balanced and fair draw".
Murray's opponent is No83 in the world but was the most improved player in 2010, having started that campaign at 254th in the rankings.
The German first visited the championships as an 11-year-old and loves playing serve and volley at the home of grass-court tennis.
Kamke said: "It's incredible that I will be playing in my favourite tournament against Andy Murray.
"I know he's one of the best players in the world, but if I get a chance, I'll try to stick in the match as long as I can and I'll try to make it as hard as I can for him to win."
