The clash between Andy Murray and Stefanos Tsitsipas delivered five close sets between the two players. The Briton fell short of a win after pushing the world number 5 to the edge at Wimbledon. While the match was played for five sets, four hours, and forty minutes, a particular moment played a crucial role in the outcome.
In hindsight, it is easy to say that one call influenced the result. However, the occurrence and time frame make it believable. Andy Murray had two challenges with himself when one of his returns was wrongly called out. He did not realize that the ball was in up until the end of the match and his reaction to the news was priceless.
Andy Murray regrets not challenging the umpire’s call
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It was 15-30 in the ninth game of the fourth set. Both players had won four games each and Andy Murray found an opening for himself. He then hit a solid low cross-court backhand return which painted the line. The call was wrongfully out and Murray refused to challenge assuming the call was right. The three-time major champion would have had a good opportunity to break the Greek’s serve in a serve-dominated match. Breaking the Tsitsipas serve there would allow him to serve out the match in the next game.
However, it was not meant to be. Murray did not take the news nicely, he knew how big of an opportunity it was. When a journalist mentioned that the call was wrong, Murray was shattered. He replied, “The 15-30 point my return was in? That’s obviously frustrating because I remember, it was like a backhand cross-court return, very short. I probably would have won the point.”
That moment from press conference when they told him about that point at 15-30 that was actually in. Heartbreaking to see Andy like this 😢💔 pic.twitter.com/rzUSKqq6mo
— Andy Murray Fan Club (@MagicMurrayFans) July 7, 2023
More than the words, it was Murray’s reaction that was heartbreaking. He looked down with deep regret but instantly responded to the question knowing that he cannot keep the journalists on hold. However, he was not quite right about one fact in the press conference.
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Andy Murray would not have won the point
Murray believed that he would have won the point and got himself two break points. But, he was wrong here. The point would have been replayed as the umpire’s call was overturned and not the player’s. Considering Tsitspas’ serving form, one would rather bet on the Greek to hold his serve from there. Still, a what-if when it comes to the outcome.
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Do you think Andy Murray would have won the match had he challenged the call? Let us know in the comments.
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