Roehampton live on BBC

Wimbledon’s qualifying event at Roehampton, once a gentle backwater of tennis, just keeps going up in the world. Already equipped with ticketing for the first time, plus a global icon in Maria Sharapova, it is now to be broadcast by the BBC.

The Corporation has yet to decide whether the matches will be shown via normal TV channels, the red button or the internet. But this is a handy addition to its coverage, supplying four extra days of action before the main event begins. It is understood the All England Club is not charging any extra fee for the service.

In another bonus for Wimbledon, former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka announced yesterday that she plans to bring her comeback to the tour forward, thus allowing her to participate in the grass-court season.

Azarenka has no singles ranking, having discovered she was pregnant when she arrived in London ahead of last year’s summer of tennis. She gave birth to her son Leo on Dec 19. But she does not need a wild card into Wimbledon because she can use her protected ranking of No 6 at eight tournaments in the coming year. She will not be seeded.

“My training has been progressing well and I feel ready to start competing,” Azarenka explained in a statement. “I plan to play one of the grass-court events prior to Wimbledon.”