A GENTLE ripple of applause breaks out around Wimbledon’s Aorangi practice courts. A pinpoint Andy Murray serve has struck its target, generating a metallic twang as it sends an empty and strategically-placed tennis ball canister spinning towards the perimeter fence. Quick as a flash, Ivan Lendl glares over at the instigators of the interruption. “Why are you doing that when he has missed so many already?” he demands.

There is perhaps half a smile - this was a relaxed practice session involving British junior Barney Smith - but the point is serious enough. The Czech remains as uncompromising and unflinching now as he was 30 years ago, when his equal best run at this venue ended in a demoralising straight sets defeat to Pat Cash in the final. The only major title he never claimed, if anyone knows the standards the Scot must reach to win Wimbledon it is Lendl.

Just as they did back in 1987, the courts at SW19 - not least centre - look threadbare, damaged and brown this year. The question is - with the margins between the world’s top four so slender - is whether the conditions could hand one of the big four a priceless advantage, r make any of them more susceptible to an early round exit.

“It reminds me a little bit of ‘87 when we had no rain and the courts played extremely fast,” says Lendl, at pains to point out that he isn’t an ‘agronomist’. “But I didn’t slip once [at practice]. It’s something I can’t influence so you just worry about what you have to do with the conditions you have.”

With all 16 of those still standing in the men’s and women’s draw in action, the first day of the second week goes by the nickname ‘Manic’ Monday. Will all of the big four, relatively untroubled thus far, still be standing by close of play today?

Murray, hopefully showing little in the way of ill effects from being taken out of his comfort zone by Fabio Fognini on Friday night, faces another master of chaos in the form of Benoit Paire, a 28-year-old free spirit from France with form for partying hard in Rio and demolishing his racket collection. A reborn Rafa Nadal, appearing like the only genuine threat remaining in the Scot’s half of the draw, faces Gilles Muller, a big server from Luxembourg who took Nadal’s scalp 12 years ago. In the other half, Novak Djokovic is playing his way back into confidence and ostensibly faces a relatively simple assignment against France’s Adrian Mannarino, while Roger Federer’s title credentials will be tested by Grigor ‘Baby Fed’ Dimitrov.

For his part, Lendl’s guess is that the cream will rise to the top. Just as it did in that see-sawing two and a half hours on Centre Court on Friday. While it has never been his style to turn cartwheels, he was delighted but not surprised that the Scot showed such grit to come through a few crisis points against Fognini.. The 30-year-old conceded that he could have played better, and moved better, but he clearly isn’t prepared to give up this title without a scrap. Hip problems or not, Lendl sees no reason at all why this time next week, he can’t be celebrating his third SW19 title.

“It’s Andy, I mean, you expect it, don’t you?” said Lendl. “That’s how people win tournaments – they fight. It doesn’t come easy. You have to fight and you don’t always play your best and you have to get through that and fighting is part of it.

“Sometimes when you play you feel tired and you have to push through that pain barrier as well,” he added. “That comes with it. But he looked pretty good didn’t he? He’s in the second week so he is in with a chance, same as 15 other guys. And by the end of tomorrow, if there is no bad weather there will be only seven and hopefully Andy.”

The stats bear out the greatness of the four men who have shared out every men’s singles title here since Lleyton Hewitt in 2002. Through three rounds here, Djokovic has lost his serve just once, Federer just twice, Murray three times and Nadal four. “The top guys are top guys because they do things a little bit better than the other guys,” the Czech added. “Can they be beaten? Of course they can but in the end most of the time the top guys do win because they are a little better than the others. Whether it’s problem solving, whether it’s lack of matches for a while, dealing with distractions off the court – these guys are used to it. That’s part of the business.

“The top guys are better in stroke production, movement, physically, you put all that into a package and the package is slightly better than the guys below,” he added. “Yes, they can get upset, or the others can upset them, but if they play 100 times they are going to win a lot more than half and that’s because the package is a little more complete. All those guys are great players, anybody can win.”

For the fourth match in a row, Murray faces an unpredictable force of nature but Lendl is keeping his strategy ideas secret. “When you have an opponent who comes in we do more returning and passing shots, when it’s an opponent who stays back we do more rhythm,” he said. “Obviously I have my thoughts, Andy has his thoughts, we’re going to go over them in about 20 minutes but that will stay between us. I think you know better than to ask me to comment about an opponent.”