Aorangi Park is a cutaway from Wimbledon at its northern-most point, a haven of grass courts predominantly hidden away from the prying eyes of the public.
Athletes are creatures of habit and Andy Murray always tucks himself on either of the two courts to the furthest left of the park.
It is here where the greatest anticipation has been over his participation and that of Novak Djokovic, both 37 now and both arriving in south-west London following surgery and uncertainty over their chances of playing this fortnight.
Djokovic has had the longer time to recover but the more serious operation, a repaired meniscus leaving him with a knee support when playing. His movement has looked good on court and he beat Daniil Medvedev, albeit in an exhibition match, earlier this week and has declared himself fit and capable of winning Wimbledon.
Of his decision to play, the Serbian said: “I wouldn’t call it a fear of missing out. I would just say it’s the incredible desire to play, just to compete, particularly because it is Wimbledon, the tournament that was always a dream tournament for me when I was a kid. Just the thought of me missing Wimbledon was just not correct.”
Murray’s surgery – to remove a spinal cyst – was far less dramatic but also much more recent and his participation is far less assured, the understanding being that he will leave it as late as tonight to say whether he will face Tomas Machac in the first round or pave the way for a lucky loser to take his spot.
This is the two-time champion’s final Wimbledon, a hurrah that was never really going to emulate past glories but there is an agony that he is being denied the chance to wave goodbye fit and on his own returns.
It could be he plays the singles, the doubles with brother Jamie, both or neither at this stage, and yet there was something reassuring about seeing him laughing and joking at the practice courts last week at a venue that has come to define him.
Speaking yesterday, he said: “I still don’t have 100 per cent feeling and sensation in my leg yet. It’s getting better every single day. I want to give it every single chance that I can to get there.
“I’m going to play another set again tomorrow. I’m doing some physical testing in the morning to see how far off I am from a physical perspective. Then I will probably make a decision tomorrow evening after that.”
Immaterial of the pair’s fitness, never has it felt more like the dawning of a new era in the men’s game and, as the tournament progresses, attention is likely to move elsewhere in the draw.
As superhuman as he is both as a tennis player and in terms of his power of recovery, it seems impossible to think that Djokovic’s knee can see him all the way to equalling Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles this year.
Instead, the likelier protagonists for victory in two Sundays’ time would appear to be Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in last year’s thrilling, epic final, and Jannik Sinner, the clear top two in the men’s game currently.
It was apt that the pair should be practising side by side on neighbouring courts at Aorangi Park over the weekend.
Alcaraz is the opening act on Centre Court today, the tradition of the defending champion, and he is already a fan favourite.
The crowd are arguably less familiar with Sinner, the Australian Open champion and a losing semi-finalist to Djokovic at Wimbledon 12 months ago, but his high level of consistency has deservedly seen him rewarded with the status of world No1.
At 21 and 22 respectively, Alcaraz and Sinner are the future of tennis, winners of the last two grand slams between them and, in theory, the top two on Wimbledon’s grass for the next fortnight.
