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Murray through despite slow start, Alcaraz survives five-set whirlwind

Andy Murray of Great Britain plays a forehand against James Duckworth of Australia in their first round match on day one of The Championships Wimbledon 2022 on June 27 2022.
Andy Murray of Great Britain plays a forehand against James Duckworth of Australia in their first round match on day one of The Championships Wimbledon 2022 on June 27 2022.
Image: Julian Finney/Getty Images

Twice former champion Andy Murray showed he still has plenty to offer at Wimbledon as he overcame a slow start to beat Australian James Duckworth on Centre Court on Monday.

For once the British spotlight has not been focused quite so squarely on the 35-year-old Murray in the Wimbledon build-up, courtesy of US Open champion Emma Raducanu's meteoric rise.

Raducanu had earlier marked her Centre Court debut in style by beating dangerous Belgian Alison van Uytvanck and for a while against Duckworth, Murray looked in danger of letting the side down as he laboured on the pristine turf.

But after dropping the first set, the former world number one showed his pedigree to win 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 and set up a second-round clash with big-serving American John Isner.

“It's amazing to be back out here again with a full crowd after the last few years. It's an amazing atmosphere,” Murray said to cheers on the historic arena that is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

“Obviously I'm getting on a bit now so I don't know how many more opportunities I'll get to play on this court so I want to make the most of every time I get to come out here. Hopefully I'll get another match here in a couple of days.”

Encouragingly for Murray, who preserved his record of never losing in the Wimbledon first round, he appeared to be moving smoothly after being troubled by an abdominal injury that limited his grass court preparation.

Duckworth, who like Murray has battled back from hip surgery, had suffered eight successive Tour-level defeats stretching back to November, but came out firing. He broke serve at 4-4 with a ferocious forehand return winner and then served out the set with another big forehand.

The mood on court was subdued but unseeded Murray, who has coach Ivan Lendl back in his corner, was unruffled and pounced for a 4-2 lead in the second and went on to level the match. Murray began to exert his authority in the third set as world number 74 Duckworth complained about the light.

The fourth set was played with the roof closed and lights switched on and for a while Duckworth was re-energised as he pushed Murray hard with some aggressive hitting. But the Scot seized on a poor Duckworth service game at 4-4, breaking when his opponent dumped a second serve into the net.

Murray, champion in 2013 and 2016, needed no second invitation to rack up his 60th Wimbledon victory, sealing it when Duckworth opted to challenge a second serve rather than play the rally and Hawkeye showed it had hit the line.

It might not have been the workout Carlos Alcaraz was hoping for as he nursed a sore elbow but the Spaniard showed why he is considered the next big thing as he toppled Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6 7-5 4-6 7-6(3) 6-4 in the Wimbledon first round.

The 19-year-old has enjoyed an incredible season on clay and hard courts — winning titles in Rio, Miami, Barcelona and Madrid — and on Monday he proved he has the skills and mental belief to succeed on the sport's slickest surface.

Despite still being a grass court novice, fifth seed Alcaraz did not let German Struff's 218kph hurtling serves or the disappointment of losing two of the opening three sets faze him. Facing an opponent he described as “big serve, big shots”, Alcaraz kept his nerve to fire down 30 aces and produced an assortment of breathtaking passing shots to secure only his second ever win on grass.

“I feel pretty good, playing here is amazing,” the beaming teenager, whose debut appearance at Wimbledon ended in the second round 12 months ago, told the crowd.

“I didn't expect to move as well as I did today. I don't know how I did this [hit 30 aces] as this is probably my best match serving.

“This means I like to play on grass and I don't want to leave the court.”