Andy Murray rallied back under the lights on Centre Court to take down qualifier Oscar Otte 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 and return to the third round at Wimbledon.
It is the first time the two-time champion, who was given a wildcard entry, is contesting in singles at his home Slam since limping out of the tournament in 2017.
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He continues to make his way back to full form after undergoing hip surgeries.
“It’s been tough. But that’s one of the reasons why I’m still playing, is because of moments like [this]. Like, why would you want to give that up?” Murray said.
“The atmosphere was good the whole match, but especially the last sort of hour and a half was brilliant. I still enjoy that.”
This photo. 😍
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) June 30, 2021
Having recorded an upset over 24th seed Nikoloz Basilashivili in the previous round, he quickly had his hands full against the determined German.
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Otte took advantage of unforced errors creeping into Murray’s game, and pounced on attackable second serves.
The Brit’s familiar disgruntled commentary grew in volume along with his frustration, as Otte reeled off four games in a row to take the second set 6-4 and edged through with a break in the third.
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But with the qualifier charging toward the finish line, the match had one final twist left as play was paused at 2-2 in the fourth set to close the roof over Centre Court due to darkness.
Murray used the pause to hit the reset button, and returned with renewed determination as the crowd’s vocal support seemed to amplify.
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“The crowd created a great atmosphere, but I think I was also engaging them and we were feeding off each other a lot at the end,” Murray said.
“I’m aware in the moment, I know what a great atmosphere is in tennis. I have played in a few of them over the years, and that was definitely one of them.”
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The 34-year-old kept Otte on the move with smart forays to the net, and he took a 3-0 lead in the fifth set with a drop shot to claim a break of serve.
He held firm against Otte’s firepower, escaping with his serve after a tight 4-2 game where he was pushed to deuce three times.
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After three hours and 50 minutes, Murray sealed the victory with a backhand lob winner to claim his place in the third round.
Few more matches like that and I will be 🤣
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) June 30, 2021
The home favourite will next face 10th seed Denis Shapovalov, who received a walkover from Pablo Andujar.
