C'mon Andy! Murray returns to Centre Court to resume Wimbledon battle
C’mon Andy! Kim watches husband Murray as he resumes thrilling Wimbledon battle with Stefanos Tsitsipas with 2-1 lead on Fantastic Friday
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Andy Murray has restarted his third-round clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas after it was halted last night by Wimbledon’s 11pm curfew.
On the eve of the anniversary of his first title at the All England Club, Murray rolled back the years with a performance showcasing all his famous grit, skill and grass-court nous to lead 6-7, 7-6, 6-4.
His wife Kim is watching from the stands this afternoon for what promises to be another thrilling contest, as is mother Judy Murray..
Meanwhile, Tsitsipas’ girlfriend Paula Badosa – who retired from her second-round Wimbledon clash against Marta Kostyuk earlier today – was also spotted in the players’ box.
Brits are now playing on all three show courts at Wimbledon, with Cameron Norrie playing on Number One Court and Liam Broady on Court 2.
Andy Murray’s wife Kim takes her seat in Centre Court to watch what promises to be another fantastic contest
Tsitsipas’ girlfriend Paula Badosa (left) – who retired from her second-round Wimbledon clash against Marta Kostyuk earlier today – was also spotted in the players’ box
Murray delivers a serve during his match on Centre Court this afternoon
Crowds on the Hill were tightly packed and waving Scottish flags as they watched the game
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The Hill at Wimbledon has filled up as tennis fans watch Andy Murray return to Centre Court today, on the tenth anniversary of his first Wimbledon title win.
Centre Court was packed to the brim as thousands of Murray fans cheered the British favourite on, urging him to complete the win.
As the match resumed, the players were in a close contest and stormed through to 4-4 in the fourth set.
Andy Murray then put up a determined fight to bring Tsitsipas’ fifth service came to 40 all – but couldn’t convert that into a break.
Painfully, he was 15-30 up before a winning point was called out. He decided not to challenge, but a graphic later showed the shot had been in, which would have given him two break points against his rival.
But he rallied to take his own service came confidently, at 40-15.
Sue Bisdee, from Chichester, and her daughter Poppy, 34, decided to watch Murray from the Hill rather than sit in their Court 2 seats.
The 69-year-old revealed she is the granddaughter of British tennis player Algernon Kingscote, who played at Wimbledon.
Ms Bisdee said: ‘We used to get very lucky. We used to get tickets every day. Sometimes when it’s raining they talk about him [on television].’
There were boos when it was announced Murray’s match would be halted with 20 minutes still to go until the cut-off point last night, with the Brit asking referee Gerry Armstrong ‘why?’ when he was told it would be stopped due to local council rules.
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Murray seemed to be unhappy with the decision but the delay will give him more time to recover after a hugely concerning moment at set point when the Scot screamed in pain and fell to the ground clutching his left groin.
Mercifully he quickly got to his feet and clinched the set with a serve that drew a Tsitsipas error, and the hope must be he has not done anything that could jeopardise his chances.
Liam Broady’s five-set win over Casper Ruud earlier on Centre Court meant this match did not begin until after 7.30pm, with Murray looking to emulate his less-heralded compatriot by taking out a top-five seed.
For the first time since his second Wimbledon title in 2016, the Scot had arrived at the All England Club feeling fit and healthy, and he declared after dropping just four games to Ryan Peniston in round two that he was playing well enough to beat most of his rivals in the draw.
Murray may no longer be right at the top of the game but he knows his way around a grass court better than most, and there are few of the younger generation who relish competing on the surface.
Tsitsipas is certainly much more comfortable on clay and hard courts, with his best performance here so far a run to the fourth round five years ago.
He had needed two days and five sets to get past Dominic Thiem in round one while Murray had the luxury of the roof for his clash with Peniston, and the court was covered again as they stepped out, with little chance the match could be completed in daylight.
The atmosphere rippled with excitement and both players struck the ball crisply from the start, with not so much as a deuce until the 12th game, when an ill-advised HawkEye challenge from Murray on a ball that clipped the baseline left him facing break point.
Kim Sears, wife of Britain’s Andy Murray, in the player box before his second round match against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas
There is a superb atmosphere on Centre Court for the resumption of Murray’s game
Paula Badosa watches her boyfriend, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, on Centre Court today
Judy Murray smiles as she prepares to watch her son do battle on Centre Court today
The two-time Wimbledon champion (right) walks out onto Centre Court alongside Stefanos Tsitsipas
Murray stretches to retrieve a low show fired by Tsitsipas
He responded with his own forehand on to the line, yelling ‘let’s go’ when Tsitsipas missed the opposite sideline, and into a tie-break they went.
There the Greek took a page from Novak Djokovic’s book of how to play flawless tie-breaks, a series of exceptional points giving him the advantage and letting a little air out of the Centre Court balloon.
Tsitsipas has saved some of his best tennis for the grand slams this year, reaching a second final at the Australian Open, where he came up against the unstoppable Djokovic, and the last eight in Paris.
In the second set Murray was hanging on as Tsitsipas’ forehand really caught fire, the 24-year-old powering 11 clean winners off that side.
But Murray avoided giving up any break points and got his reward, with Tsitsipas finally making a few mistakes to slip to 6-2 adrift.
Murray used all his home advantage, lingering around the net and whipping up the crowd, and a huge roar greeted the next point.
Murray slipped on the turf at set point in the third set yesterday night
Murray speaks to the referee after his match against Stefanos Tsitsipas was suspended
Brits are now playing on all three show courts at Wimbledon, with Cameron Norrie playing on Number One Court
Meanwhile, Liam Broady is in action against Denis Shapovalov on Court Two
At their only previous grand slam meeting, at the US Open in 2021, Murray said he had lost respect for his opponent over the length of his toilet breaks during a five-set loss for the Scot.
The rules have since changed but Tsitsipas, who had referred to the court as Murray’s living room, was booed on his return from an extended break to change his clothes.
The Greek carried his disappointment into the third set and Murray pounced immediately, creating his first break points of the match and breaking to love.
Tsitsipas recovered his composure and forced two break points in the fourth game but Murray’s serve was now purring and he appeared set to clinch the set comfortably prior to his unfortunate slip.
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