Jay gives a great (and very cute) interview. Very well rounded and grounded guy. Loving the Lacoste kit and learning that he has enough sponsorship money to alleviate any immediate financial concerns.

www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/video/index.html

Very briefly, had a wonderful day at Wimbledon taking my 11 year old daughter for the first time. We sat on court 17 for James Ward match and the 3.5 hours probably tennis'd her out so after a break we saw bits and pieces of matches with Brits playing everywhere (in between assorted refreshments of course!)

James opponent Basilashvili was very good but as one dimensional as you could see. I tipped James for an upset and he came close, at 2 sets up and 4-4 he seemed destined to take the win but Basiliashvili served, threw in TWO double faults in the same game, saved break points but eventually held. From that point on the match switched and despite breaking back when his opponent served for the match, James never looked like winning again. Dan should take this guy out, as I say, he's as good as a top 20 payer should be but has no game for grass.

We finished on 17 as well watching Paul Jubb (or Jubby as his entourage liked to call him). They were a good bunch, about 50 down from Hull to see his debut. It was painfully subdued as the first set ticked by but once Jubb(y) got into it, it was a great occasion. And Sousa could most definitely play on grass. He surprised me, very good indeed.

We saw a bit of Jo having court 1 tickets but the other match we saw a decent chunk of was Jay. A really solid mature performance, was very impressed and you pick up a vibe being so close and both Jay and Paul Jubb are easy to like and support. Court 8 was mobbed however why schedule a Brit on here? I could see but my daughter could not so we eventually watch from high up the side of an empty Court 12 which has the added bonus of my favourite view of the ground.

As I say, an excellent day.

Also had an excellent day yesterday, though without tickets we had to queue, so an early start from home at 5.20. Partly due to the Wimbledon power cut that stopped all movement of the queue for at least 30 mins, we didn't get to our chosen ct 18 until Dan's match was nearing the end of set 2. Due to the short breaks between games there wasn't enough time to fill the empty seats when people left, so a rather frustrating time until we got in for the final few games. Love watching Dan. We also had a rather distant view of Harriet's match plus they were showing both matches side by side on the big screen. Thankfully we had no trouble getting on court for the other matches we wanted to watch - Cam v Istomin (no doubt that Cam would win), Jay v Rubin and Paul v Sousa. I always try to go on day 1 or 2 specifically to see the Brits so am very happy that we saw so many. It also paid off to get to Paul's court while Georges was still playing as we got front row seats and not many people moved once his match had started. It was great to see him adjust and get more confident. Unfortunately I had to leave at the end of set 3 as I have shingles and had already outlasted my comfort level. Hence today I am watching from the comfort of home but looking forward to a second visit on Saturday with ct 1 tickets. I got the impression that they've cut down on security staff/stewards. There certainly weren't the same number of stewards around the queue - it took 20 mins for us to get our queue cards instead of the usual couple of minutes and the youngsters handing them out did issue cards to people who said their friends were getting coffee/in the toilet queue - never seen that before. Didn't see any security moving people along between the smaller courts. Also spotted some drooping flowers - are standards dropping?

Someone put John Inverdale in the bin. Fawning over Geoffrey Boycott, a man who was found guilty of domestic violence, and Inverdale jabbering on about him during a TENNIS match might be one of the worst 5minutes of television this year. Solid enough start by Kyle though, have a feeling this match could be a long one. Praise the lord for the mute button

Actually, I quite like Inverdale too. I find him reasonably knowledgeable, not up himself, and a good stooge guy for a second, more serious commentator (Courrier, for instance).

I actually don't mine Castle too much either - yes, he's an idiot, and has minor public school all over him. But he doesn't take himself too seriously, has some reasonable gossip, and a pleasant enough voice.

It's John Lloyd who I absolutely refuse to listen to. He knows nothing. But nothing. But thinks he does. A horrible manner. And a voice that just drones unpleasantly.

I should add that I thought Verdasco was the more solid of the two throughout that set.