ANDY Murray is an outstanding all-round sportsman who can speak knowledgeably about all manner of subjects.

Every now and then, though, it might be nice if he were invited to speak about his own match. At points on Wednesday, you would have suspected you were at a coffee morning with Peter Alliss rather than a post-match press conference with the third best tennis player in the world. The second question the Scot had to field focused upon the not-entirely germane subject of what Rory McIlroy's withdrawal could mean for the hopes of Jordan Spieth, and whether the American youngster would have been better advised getting some time in on a UK links course ahead of the Open at St Andrew's.

SOME people seem to have a season ticket for the Royal Box, or at least they would if such a thing existed. David Beckham, for example, was back there yet again on Day 10, this time with his mum. Pippa Middleton turned up, as did another very regular attender, Elaine Page, and former dancer Darcey Bussell.

Another guest, Martina Navratilova, came along with Stephen Fry, which would surely make for one of the more intriguing doubles partnerships. She would whack the ball at you and he would make perplexing remarks of labyrinthine complexity, just to intimidate you further. Maybe Chris Evert will invite Rowan Atkinson over the next couple of days. Or perhaps, if Andy Murray reaches the final on Sunday, Virginia Wade will recognise the righteousness of our campaign for greater Scottish representation and take Frankie Boyle as her guest.

IT is enough to make you sick. The younger diarist has seen many things in the Wimbledon press room - most of them involving his eccentric older colleague - but this is the first time he has witnessed a fellow member of the press corps, some two metres away, bent double as he projectile vomited into a bin. Apparently he had just read our copy.

THE diarists are delighted that they are not the only journalists who find Wimbledon a bewildering experience. Which player is on which court when? What time is each player coming into the interview room? And who actually won this match again? As the rest of the world probably knows, thanks to the internet, all this proved too much for one of our colleagues from an English paper, who will remain nameless .

"Tomas, do you feel your form is good, going into the quarter-finals?" this unlucky gent asked Tomas Berdych, making the crucial mistake of forgetting that he had in fact just been knocked out in the last 16. "Is he trying to make fun of me?" asked a rather miffed 2010 runner-up. It is a reminder to always Czech your facts.