Andy Murray’s hopes of a fine Wimbledon victory on the 10th anniversary of his 2013 title win were ended by fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in round two.
Stalled by Wimbledon’s 11pm curfew on Thursday, the Briton lost 7-6 (7-3) 6-7 (2-7) 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 on Friday.
Murray had not beaten a SW19 opponent ranked as high as the Greek since his iconic win over Novak Djokovic in 2013.
Shortly before Murray’s loss, British number one Cameron Norrie fell 3-6 6-3 2-6 6-7 (3-7) to Christopher Eubanks.
Murray, 36, and Norrie, 27, were considered the nation’s best hopes of success in the men’s singles and their defeats dampened the spirits of the home fans at the All England Club.
Their exits leave British number five Liam Broady, who is playing Canadian 26th seed Denis Shapovalov in the third round, as the sole home representative in the men’s singles.
On Saturday, British women’s number one Katie Boulter also has the chance to reach the fourth round when she plays defending champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
Murray makes Tsitsipas ‘work extra hard’
When Murray’s captivating clash under the Centre Court lights against Tsitsipas was suspended on Thursday, the Scot had just sealed a two-sets-to-one lead in front of a partisan home crowd.
Who the break benefitted – Murray after a painful-looking fall, or Tsitsipas after momentum swung away from him – was debatable.
The delay did provide the opportunity for the romantics to dream. Murray returned on Friday aiming to earn his biggest win by ranking since the 2013 final, 10 years to the day and at the scene of the defining moment of his career.
The realists felt the rest might suit Tsitsipas better. The 24-year-old, like he did in the first two sets on Thursday, produced another serving masterclass and did not face a break point as he turned around the deficit.
Asked if the 18-hour gap benefitted him, Tsitsipas said: “It did not help me that much. You are dealing with a lot of things.
“You are dealing with Andy Murray at the other side of the net. He can make it a marathon and I had to work extra hard.
“My legs are sore – he made me run left and right, up and down for how many hours.”