LONDON - Queen Elizabeth II was making her first appearance at Wimbledon in 33 years on Thursday, and the world's top tennis players were getting ready for the rare occasion. Serena Williams rehearsed her curtsy before spectators, while Rafael Nadal said he hoped to get a chance to say hello to the All England Club's royal patron. Andy Murray, the only British singles player left in the tournament in a year of exceptionally poor showings by the host country, was probably under the most pressure to prepare. The last time the queen visited, in 1977, she presented Virginia Wade with the ladies' singles championship. No Briton has won a singles title since. The No.4 seed Murray was scheduled to play the first match on Center Court Thursday against Jarkko Nieminen of Finland. When asked if he thought bowing in the direction of the royal box would be easy, he told reporters that It should be, you never know.he will probably be a bit nervous and he did not want to mess up at all." Although in decades past the tennis club maintained a tradition of a bow or curtsy to royal attendants, that practice was dropped in 2003, much to the relief of most players at the time. It's now up to players whether to gesture in deference in the direction of the queen. Despite her practice, Williams will most likely be disappointed. She was not on Thursday's schedule and would not get a chance to play in front of the queen, after talking at length about her efforts to perfect her curtsy and sport more "conservative" clothing. The defending champion is known for outrageous outfits such as a skin-tight black catsuit and flourescent orange micro-shorts. She will likely get a chance to show off her etiquette at the queen's reception in the VIP area, though. "My curtsy is really fun. It's something that she'll never forget," she promised. The queen, accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, will start her day at Wimbledon meeting junior players as well as ballboys and ballgirls. She then meets British players, top seeds and past champions at the members' enclosure lawn, before taking her seat in the royal box, from where she will watch Murray play his second-round match. Nadal will follow with a match against Robin Haase of the Netherlands, though it's not clear if the queen will stay long enough to watch him. Although the monarch isn't known to have a particularly strong personal interest in tennis, the royal association with Wimbledon spans more than 100 years. The queen's, grandfather, King George V, became patron of the All England Club in 1910, and the tradition has been maintained since. The queen's only other visits before 1977 were in 1957 and 1962.
