Andy Murray, Emma Raducanu lose in Wimbledon second spherical, with Murray uncertain whether or not he’ll play once more at SW19

The recurring cries of “Come on, Andy!” at centre court docket meandered someplace alongside the continuum from pushing to pleading as two-time champion Andy Murray’s shortest keep at Wimbledon got here to a detailed.

Unable to beat massive John Isner’s massive serves, the best way he all the time has up to now, Murray misplaced within the second spherical to the Twentieth-seeded American 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (7/3), 6-4 on the All England Membership, capping a disappointing afternoon and night within the grass-court Grand Slam match’s predominant stadium for the locals.

Previous to Murray vs Isner, the host nation’s different main participant, reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu, was eradicated by Caroline Garcia of France 6-3, 6-3.

Requested whether or not he plans to be again a 12 months from now, the 35-year-old Murray replied: “It depends upon how I’m bodily. If bodily I really feel good, we’ll attempt to hold enjoying.

Murray wanted a number of operations on his hip and now has a synthetic joint. He additionally just lately handled an stomach concern that hampered his preparations final week.

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Along with changing into Britain’s first males’s singles title winner in 77 years at Wimbledon when he claimed the trophy in 2013 — and including one other in 2016 — Murray all the time had managed to make it to a minimum of the third spherical in his 13 prior appearances. He misplaced that early twice, in his 2005 debut and in 2021.

“It is no secret that I’m most positively not a greater tennis participant than Andy Murray. I might need been just a bit bit higher than him as we speak,” mentioned the 37-year-old Isner, who received the longest match in tennis historical past by a 70-68 rating within the fifth set at Wimbledon in 2010 and reached the semi-finals there in 2018.

“It was an unimaginable honour to play him on this court docket, in entrance of this crowd.

Murray can nonetheless hit crisp, clear groundstrokes, and he collected merely 13 unforced errors to 39 winners towards the 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) Isner.

And Murray can nonetheless return about in addition to anybody, usually getting serves topping 210 kph again over the web.

However he couldn’t fairly do this sufficient: Isner hit 36 aces — shifting him 4 away from Ivo Karlovic’s complete of 13,728, a document because the ATP started monitoring that stat in 1991 — and delivered one other 60 unreturned serves throughout the match’s almost three and a half hours.

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Murray, who entered the day 8-0 towards Isner, solely managed to acquire two break factors. Each got here after a few dozen minutes of play, proper after Isner broke to go up 2-1 within the opening set.

Isner erased the primary with a drop volley winner, a part of an amazing show of deft contact up on the web, the place he received the purpose on 43 of 61 journeys ahead.

“Because of this I nonetheless play,” Isner mentioned. “Because of this I work laborious.”

When the second break probability for Murray arrived moments later, Isner acquired out of the sport this fashion: 206 kph ace, 203 kph ace, 216 kph service winner.

Murray made issues fascinating by taking the third-set tiebreaker, celebrating by hopping round and shouting and pumping his proper fist whereas the group rose and roared.

However Isner shortly broke to go up 3-2 within the fourth and that, basically, was that.

How did Isner maintain off any probability of a comeback by Murray?

“I served,” Isner mentioned with fun. “That is actually all it got here all the way down to. I suppose I did not give him many alternatives to spin his net and get me tousled in it.