MURRAY RETURNS WITH DOUBLES VICTORY
IT WAs like old times, but it wasn’t. sir Andy Murray was on a show court at twilight and the crowd were hollering him on his way. After 722 days, the old champion was back and winning at Wimbledon, the place he has excited and stressed out with his agonies and ecstasies over the roaring years.
Back with his bionic right hip, the 32- year- old was not cast in the starring role — rafa nadal and the Australian punk nick Kyrgios were fighting for that honour on Centre Court — but the very sight of Murray lifted the hearts of the faithful as they gathered for a little homage at a touch after 6.30pm.
Murray was playing in the doubles with Frenchman Pierre- hugues herbert. it is a new pairing and the main man was a touch jittery.
‘i was a little bit nervous at the start but it got better as the match went on,’ said Murray. ‘it was a really nice atmosphere at the end — the new roof kept in all the noise.
‘After a disjointed start, we started to get more comfortable and reading each other’s games.’
Yes, it was not entirely plain sailing for the freshly-minted pair as they lost the first set to big-serving opposition. The crowd played fair, tolerating the fluffed shots and cheering the successes.
The All england Club had not seen Murray since he lost to sam Querrey two years ago. Then came the tears and the surgery.
indeed, it was only in January that Murray wondered whether his playing days were over. he could not sit, let alone walk, without feeling the pain of his condition.
But here he was in a white cap, prowling the grass he once commanded. it would be a lie to say the atmosphere was electric from start to finish.
Doubles lacks the mano-a-mano intensity of the fight his body was not ready to take on — the singles next door. There is an anonymity to doubles and that is more starkly apparent when you are Murray and have made a living wearing the pressure on your own sleeve, exhibiting it with every grimace.
After the loss of the first set, Murray and herbert came back strong, breaking early in the second set and never looking back.
From then on they found their confidence and prospered, taking the next two sets before the darkening night called for the roof to be moved into place.
But for the £175million addition, there would have been no further play on Court 1 last evening. But, after a brief interlude, on we went to the conclusion — a Murray win. he and herbert broke in the first game of the fourth set.
Murray moved freely throughout, showing no signs of the pangs that have tormented him. Pain? ‘some stiffness in my back maybe, but not in my hip — its metal,’ he said.
There were a few empty seats out there — low hundreds of them, at an estimate — so this was not peak Murray Mania. That may build over the next week if he ends up playing 12 matches to get to the finals of both the men’s and mixed doubles. he starts in the latter with serena Williams today and that should be fun.
And so it was as Murray accepted his victory applause under the lights at 9.23pm. he took off his cap and saluted the crowd. Job done. Murray is back. JAMie MurrAY will resume his doubles match with partner neal skupski today, leading two sets to one against ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek, after bad light stopped play late last night on Court 18.