Stefanos Tsitsipas ignores Wimbledon boos with classy Murray message after win

Stefanos Tsitsipas showed his class as he came from behind to defeat Andy Murray in a marathon five-set match that lasted across two days. The Brit was leading by two sets to one when play was suspended for the curfew on Thursday night. But Tsitsipas bounced back to win the last two sets when the match resumed on Friday – ignoring boos when he approached the umpire after he wasn’t allowed to challenge a call.

Tsitsipas and Murray contested a five-set epic on Centre Court, with the match coincidentally concluding on the 10-year anniversary of the 36-year-old’s first title victory at Wimbledon. The Brit benefitted from the home support – something Tsitsipas had been anticipating ahead of his first time on the tournament’s biggest show court.

It meant he found himself on the receiving end of boos twice – after returning from a toilet break on Thursday evening and after approaching the umpire about a challenge request on Friday. But the 24-year-old was just happy to get through afterwards as he praised Murray’s ability to keep fighting at this stage in his career.

“Never easy against Andy. Everyone loves him here. It was a very difficult game,” the nine-time title winner told the crowd. Tsitsipas also touched on Murray’s struggle with a hip injury that first caused issues in 2017 and saw him go under the knife twice.

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He continued: “I’m very impressed at how he holds up, having been so many years on the tour and having had two hip surgeries. I’m very impressed with his level today and I wish him all the very best in the future.”

Addressing the challenge of making his Centre Court debut against a home favourite, Tsitsipas paid tribute to Murray and the rest of the old Big Four – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. “It was nerve-racking. I had to overcome it. The crowd was an obstacle, of course, a big one,” he said.

“It’s actually difficult when you’ve grown up watching him on this court. I had goosebumps watching him win his first Wimbledon title on this court. I looked up to him, Novak, Roger and Rafa so these four guys shaped the game. They’re the reason I’m the player I am today.”

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While Tsitsipas appeared to benefit from play being suspended – coming back to win both sets – he admitted that it did the opposite. “It didn’t help that much,” he explained.

“I knew I was dealing with someone that can return a lot of balls. You’re dealing with someone who can make it a marathon, whether you like it or not, and I had to work hard to get that victory. My legs are sore now, he made me run left and right for over four hours. It was a difficult one.”

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