ANDY and Jamie Murray are set to have a bigger say in the game off the courts, as they bid to have a big say on them at Wimbledon. The Dunblane brothers, along with Novak Djokovic, have been announced as new members of the ATP player council.

It meets several times a year and makes recommendations to the ATP board on the direction they feel tennis should take. Andy Murray has been one of the sport’s most outspoken competitors on a number of issues, including drugs and equality.

Ahead of starting his Wimbledon men’s singles campaign against fellow Briton Liam Broady tomorrow, the Scot said: “It’s the first time I’m getting involved in something like this and I’m looking forward to getting started with the rest of the guys on the council.

“We’ve seen a lot of growth on the ATP World Tour in recent years and hopefully we can continue that.”

Murray’s influence on the success of British tennis as a whole is not necessarily straightforward to gauge but, in terms of setting a good example, he cannot be faulted.

The 29-year-old’s work ethic is exemplary and he follows the fortunes of other British players avidly, offering encouragement and practice opportunities.

Murray has invited James Ward and Kyle Edmund to his training camps in Miami and both have spoken of the importance of their relationship with him. Ward, Edmund and Broady are among 15 British singles players in action at Wimbledon. Eight of those earned their place without the need for a wild card, the most since 1985.

The draw was generally not kind to the home players – Ward faces defending champion Novak Djokovic today – so there may not be many British victories, but Murray is encouraged by the state of the game.

He said: “Things are hopefully going in the right direction.

I’m not saying it’s perfect, but it’s more positive than some of the years I’ve been here, for sure. I have obviously spent a decent amount of time with Wardy and Kyle, a little bit more time with Evo [Dan Evans]. I’ve tried to practise with them and help where I can.

“If that’s made a small difference to them, then that’s great. The players need to do the work, as well, ultimately. So it comes down to them.

“If I’ve given them a little bit extra incentive to work a bit harder or motivated them in any way, then I’m really, really happy about that.

“That’s the culture you want in this sport in this country because that’s something that I think a lot of players, coaches, people who have been involved in the game, they feel like we’ve lacked that a bit in the past. Hopefully moving forward that will be something we do a little bit better.”

The world No 2 warmed up for the clash with Broady by hitting with another British player, Alex Ward, at Aorangi Park.

The most unlikely home contender is 25-year-old Marcus Willis, who had been taking a break from the game to earn some money coaching.

Willis, ranked 775, entered the pre-qualifying event and, after winning three matches there to earn his place in qualifying, posted three more victories to make the main draw. Willis will play Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania in round one and, should he win that, would almost certainly face Roger Federer.

Murray said: “It was great for him to qualify. I remember, it was a couple of years ago, he was trying to get some funding together because he wanted to try to play a full year on the tour. I remember retweeting something he was doing to try and raise money online to keep playing because he wasn’t getting any funding anymore.

“He’d been to one of the Davis Cup ties when we played here. I think it was against Austria. He’s a really nice, good, fun guy and it’s just a really cool story. Obviously there are no guarantees he will win his first match, but with the potential to play Roger, it would be an amazing story.”

Adding the French Open title to complete his set of majors has not blunted Djokovic’s hunger for a fourth Wimbledon title. The Serb said: “Obviously I’m at the peak of my career at the moment.

“It hopefully can still keep going. I see still lots of room for improvement, things that I can work on. That’s something that encourages me. That’s something that keeps me grounded in a way, gives me more reason to practise.”

On the match-up with Ward, he added: “It’s going to be the first match on the untouched grass. That’s probably one of the most special tennis matches that you get to experience as a professional player.

“I’m looking forward to it. Obviously I know that he doesn’t have much to lose. The Centre Court is one of the cradles of our sport, will be hopefully packed, and we can enjoy a great match.

“Pressure is part of what we do. It’s inevitable to face this kind of sensation as a top player, being expected to do well and to go as far as the last four at least in the tournament, or the finals. But the more you get to face this kind of pressures and emotions, the more you get used to them. The better you are in coping with it and handling it.

“I’ll try to use the experience that I’ve had in the previous years, previous tournaments, to get myself in a positive state of mind, and to have a positive approach to this tournament.”