Andy Murray’s hold on Wimbledon is incomparable

LONDON — Andy Murray felt a bit on edge ahead of Wimbledon.

“When I walk out onto Centre Court to play, obviously I’m very nervous, but incredibly excited to get the chance to perform here again on one of, if not the most special court, in our sport,” he said before his first match.

Nerves are a good thing in Murray’s mind — they show he’s ready and he’s feeling optimistic for another run at the place where the nostalgia he has generated is inescapable.

That’s what happens when you’re the man who, in 2013, ended a 77-year wait for a British men’s singles champion at Wimbledon, and served Novak Djokovic his last defeat on Centre Court. Now the 10-year anniversary of that triumph, the memories, floods of highlights and broadcast images of Murray smiling in utter disbelief at his win over Djokovic were dotted throughout everything to do with this year’s tournament.

But, a decade later, there’s still the real thing there on Centre Court, playing with all the eagerness and expectation of the young star we saw break through. The vision remains the same, the heart-on-sleeve mentality he carries and the complete lack of a filter with his emotions are unchanged. It’s a captivating experience watching him, and the crowd loves him because of it.

The 36-year-old Murray we’ve seen here this week has been unmissable. He changed his service action ahead of this year’s grass season. He was messing around in practice and simplified the start of the whole process: less sway, just a touch more efficiency and tidiness. It was a little dab of improvement as he started the whole process of targeting Wimbledon for the third time.

He came into this tournament in decent form — having won at Surbiton and Nottingham — but crucially unseeded. The crowd saw him navigate his way against Ryan Peniston in the first round — his first all-British meeting since he faced Liam Broady in the first round in 2016.

Murray said he felt the best he had since before his hip surgeries in 2018 and 2019, which had plucked him back from the door of retirement. There were omens everywhere of a potential Murray run along with momentum and hope.