Tennis fans visiting this year's Wimbledon championships will be offered an opportunity to practise on Centre Court alongside Andy Murray – in virtual reality.

The "Champion’s Rally" will form part of an enlarged Fan Experience at this year's Championships.

Allowing fans to step into a VR experience and play tennis in both the digital and physical worlds, Champions Rally will see players aiming to hit five targets positioned over the famous Centre Court net in order to measure their speed and accuracy, encouraged by Andy Murray.

Available to all attendees at The Championships 2019, the difficulty of the game increases as players progress through the game before receiving a score at the end.

It is the centrepiece of the new Fan Experience, which has been designed around the theme of ‘Tennis in an English Garden’.

In addition to participating in the Champion’s Rally, all Wimbledon fans will be able to relax in the hammock house and bespoke seating area, complete with charge points for phones and complimentary sunglass cleaning.

The Fan Experience has been set up by financial services giant American Express, to kick off a new multi-year partnership it has signed with The All England Lawn Tennis Club to become the Official Payment Partner of The Championships.

"I’m excited to be working with American Express ahead of my return to the tour," Murray said.

"I had good fun working on Champion’s Rally and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone have a go on Centre Court – so long as they don’t beat my score."

Deborah Curtis, vice president of Global Experiences and Partnerships for American Express, added: “Our partnership with Wimbledon is an important example of how we’re backing customers and tennis fans around the globe with unique experiences and benefits.

"Building on our heritage of supporting tennis in the US, this partnership will be supported by a 360-degree marketing campaign.

"We’re also excited to leverage the partnership at a B2B level, supporting our small merchants in the Wimbledon area and bringing a pop-up activation to several of our UK corporate clients, so they can truly immerse themselves in the experience of the Championships."