Murray, still seeking to regain the elite form he once possessed, fell to No. 5 Tsitsipas, 7-6 (3), 6-7 (2), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, In a match so close that Murray bested his Greek opponent on total points, 176-169.
“Obviously I’m very disappointed at the moment,” he said in a press conference about 25 minutes after the match ended. “You never know how many chances you’ll get to play here.”
Murray’s somber mood was reflected across the stadiums on a difficult day for British players and their fans on Friday. No. 12 Cameron Norrie, the current British No. 1 player, lost to unseeded American Chris Eubanks, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (3), on court No. 1 William Brodie. 2, fell to Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who won 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 7-5.
But it’s not the case with Murray. For two decades, British tennis fans watched as he turned the promise of his tennis career into glory when, under great pressure in 2013, he became the first British man in 77 years to win Wimbledon, the British home and premiere event on the road. Three years later, he did it again, to add to his US Open title and Olympic gold medal he won in 2012, also the latter on center court.