Murray carried the Olympic torch on to the iconic Centre Court of the All England Tennis Club, where he lost to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final just weeks ago.

He joked that he had nearly set fire to the sporting landmark as he entered.

“It was great, it was obviously a big honour, a bit nerve-wracking as well – I was coming in underneath Wimbledon, and apparently I caught the flame a little bit on the ceiling, so I was trying to be careful,” Murray said.

Murray said focusing on the Olympics was a good way to move on from his defeat at the hands of the inimitable Federer in Wimbledon’s final.

“I’ve been practicing the last nine or ten days now, I’ve been doing a lot of training to get ready. I think this event is a huge motivation for me after Wimbledon and exactly what I needed, so I’m really looking forward to it.”