Andy Murray will take on Stefanos Tsitsipas in a blockbuster second-round match at Wimbledon on Thursday.
Murray, a champion at Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016, booked his spot in Round 2 by seeing off fellow Briton Ryan Peniston in straight sets (6-3, 6-0, 6-1) on Tuesday, but it is unlikely that his next tie will be so straightforward.
The Scot, 36, will go up against world No 5 Tsitsipas, who overcame Dominic Thiem in a five-set epic on Wednesday, and with whom Murray has history.
When Murray and Tsitsipas, 24, played each other at the 2021 US Open, the Briton accused his opponent of ‘cheating’ for taking a seven-minute-long toilet break. Tsitsipas went on to win in five sets.
The Greek was involved in another five-set epic this week, beating former US Open champion Thiem in a deciding tiebreak (3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-7, 7-6), with that match having started on Tuesday before rain delays halted play. Tsitsipas’s monumental effort in beating Thiem may help Murray, though the pair will square off in the final scheduled match on Centre Court on Thursday – giving Tsitsipas at least a bit of time to recover. Furthermore, the 24-year-old played down any notion that he will be tired when he takes on the three-time major winner.
“My body feels good,” Tsitsipas said on Wednesday night. “I know it was a five-setter, but I feel like there isn’t any soreness or any major fatigue on my body right now [...] I won’t know [if Murray is fresher] until I have to face him. He is a strong opponent, he has played on this court so many times. Grass suits his game very good. He has shown it with titles – two titles here, at Wimbledon; he has won Queen’s in the past. He’s a strong opponent on grass.
“I played him once before on grass in Stuttgart,” Tsitsipas continued, referencing Murray’s victory last summer. “I need to up my game on this occasion. Looking forward on having to face his solid game, which will make it physical. That is something that I haven't been exposed to a lot on grass, but I will have to put in the work and make it work this way.”
Addressing the 2021 US Open drama around his match with Murray, Tsitsipas added: “I think it has been settled already, a long time ago. We had to play Laver Cup together in the same team. I’ve forgotten about it. He has forgotten about it.
Tsitsipas battled to victory over Dominic Thiem in five sets (Alberto Pezzali/AP)
“He’s someone that I respect. Obviously he’s older than me, he has done great things in tennis. I’m looking forward to this match, I hope there’s plenty for me to learn. Regardless of the outcome, I feel like I really want to go out there and give it a shot and aim for being super strong and disciplined in that match, because it will require lots of that. If I’m in there persistent and focused on my goal, I feel like anything is possible. I’m hoping to be in that kind of mindset when I’m going to be facing him tomorrow.”