Andy Murray is no stranger to the fact that tennis can be a game of fine margins at times – as he found out in his second round Wimbledon loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas. In a five-set epic typical of Murray’s absolute refusal to go down without a fight, the Scottish star was eventually outlasted 7-6, 6-7, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.
It was a key moment in the fourth set however, that could potentially have been decisive. With the set delicately poised at 4-4 on Tsitsipas’ serve and Murray holding a 15-30 advantage, his cross-court backhand beat the Greek star – but was called out.
Despite a glance at his box, Murray opted not to challenge the point – but subsequent replays showed doing so would have been successful. While no guarantee he’d have won the game, two break points instead of a 30-30 stalemate is undoubtedly a better outcome.
Already somewhat frustrated having once again failed to progress beyond the second round of a grand slam for the first time since 2017, when a reporter pointed out they key moment in the match, Murray was left even further in despair. Having made an incredible and unlikely comeback from two hip surgeries that threatened to end his career, Murray was once again denied the chance for a Wimbledon swansong.
