Andy Murray lets out scream as he goes down injured before winning set on first point back up

A nation’s heart was in its mouth when Andy Murray yelped as he went down injured late on Thursday night on Centre Court.

But they needn’t have worried as the two-time Wimbledon champion dusted himself down and won the set on the first point since climbing off the deck to take what could be a crucial lead against fifth seed at Wimbledon, Stefanos Tsitsipas.

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Murray was serving to take a 2-1 lead in sets in the enthralling second-round encounter when it appeared disaster struck as he went down after being wrong-footed by Tsitsipas’ forehand down the line.

The Scot let out a scream and was writhing in pain as he appeared to hold his left groin, but he then staggered to his feet after several seconds.

Given his injury record in recent years, many fans would’ve feared Murray’s race was run.

But Murray responded in the perfect way as he sealed the third set on the first point after the stoppage.

That proved to be the final act of the match on Thursday with the fourth set to resume on Friday. Murray currently leads the clash 6-7 (3) 7-6 (2) 6-4.

But it was an excellent night’s work for the 36-year-old, who says he’s physically in the best shape he’s been at Wimbledon since he last won the men’s singles title in 2016.

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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.

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 Ryan 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.

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.

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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.

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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.

After his slip, Murray got the job done and will look to book his place in the third round on what will be the tenth anniversary of his first triumph at SW19.

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