Wimbledon LIVE: Rafael Nadal, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek all in action on day four at SW19

06/30/2022

Cameron Norrie ready for heightened pressure of deep Wimbledon run

Cameron Norrie is ready to embrace the pressure of trying to make the second week at a grand slam after he survived a scare to keep the British train on track at Wimbledon.

The world number 11 needed five sets to get the better of Spaniard Jaume Munar but looked in trouble after his former doubles partner won the second and third sets.

With Emma Raducanu already on her way to a round two exit on Centre Court, it seemed possible both of the big British hopes may be out of SW19 before the end of day three.

Norrie had other ideas, handing out a bagel to force a decider, which he won after breaking three times to triumph 6-4 3-6 5-7 6-0 6-2.

Cameron Norrie ready for heightened pressure of deep Wimbledon run

The British number one won in five sets to make the third round at SW19 for a second consecutive year

Andy Murray confident he can still challenge despite earliest Wimbledon exit

Andy Murray remains convinced he can still challenge at the grand slams despite suffering his earliest Wimbledon exit.

However, the former world number one admits his injury problems since coming back from career-saving hip surgery mean he cannot offer any guarantees that he will be back for another crack next year.

Murray, the two-time champion, failed to reach the third round at SW19 for the first time after a four-set defeat by big-serving AmericanJohn Isner on Centre Court.

However, 35-year-old Murray insists he still has what it takes to mix it with the elite at the major tournaments, fitness permitting.

Andy Murray confident he can still challenge despite earliest Wimbledon exit

Murray failed to reach the third round for the first time in his career.

Emma Raducanu knocked out of Wimbledon and overpowered by France’s Caroline Garcia

Before the final game, Emma Raducanu stood on the baseline in the evening sun as Centre Court gave one last prolonged howl of encouragement. It was offered without expectation – Caroline Garcia had already proven her dominance and her 6-3, 6-3 victory was sealed a few moments later – but was a welcome expression of support for a young player visibly struggling with her game.

A year on since her surge from anonymity to Wimbledon’s fourth round, with a US Open title in between, this second-round exit could easily be interpreted as Raducanu regression. Her serve was about the only part of her game flowing as the forehand chose unpredictable trajectories and her usually pinpoint backhand was no more consistent. The glimpses of magic, reaching impossible balls and returning them with feeling, roused a partisan crowd but were too fleeting to reverse the momentum. Service holds had to be hard earned, and when points descended into baseline slugfests Garcia’s superior power won out.

But it should be no surprise that the 19-year-old is still finding her feet in the professional ranks despite her achievements – or in spite of them given the added scrutiny she carries. Just appearing here at Wimbledon was something of a surprise given the side strain which forced her to withdraw from Nottingham earlier this month and then miss Eastbourne, where she had hoped to hone her grass game. There would have been no shortage of pressure, not least commercially, to appear in Wimbledon white this week even if it meant coming in cold – though Raducanu dismissed pressure itself as an excuse for her defeat.

Emma Raducanu knocked out of Wimbledon by France’s Caroline Garcia

Raducanu came into Wimbledon cold and it showed as she struggled to gather her game on Centre Court against a powerful opponent

Andy Murray knocked out of Wimbledon by relentless John Isner

This time, the heroic comeback would be cut short. Andy Murray contorted through all the roars and grimaces, the angry monologues and chest-beating he’s made so torturously iconic, but there would be no glory to make good of the pain. The 35-year-old’s spirit was as indomitable as ever, rallying from two sets down against John Isner as the light faded and the roof closed over Centre Court, but the American harnessed the hostile atmosphere and weathered a momentous fightback to close out a 6-4 7-6 6-7 6-4 victory that lasted almost three and a half hours.

This was a different and perhaps a more depressing kind of defeat than what Murray endured last year. Then, it was the fearless youth and aggression of Denis Shapovalov that put into sharp relief the years and strength lost to injury. But Isner is an old foe, one who Murray had found a way to subdue and defeat in all of their eight previous meetings, a record stretching back as far as 2010. It felt almost assured that Murray’s variety, invention and iron will would eventually outlast a player who can throw a ball up to the gods and return Thor’s Hammer like no other.

Isner’s impenetrable serve will always be best remembered for his 11-hour marathon match here against Nicolas Mahut, but it was hard to recall a time when it has been quite so relentlessly precise as this. He gave up just two break points throughout the entire match and summoned a remarkable 36 aces, puncturing the atmosphere whenever pressure swelled, but it would be unfair to reduce his efforts to just one dimension. The 37-year-old’s volleying was exquisite, 81 winners were testament to his aggression and whether it was that inspired masterclass or the fine margins Murray has lost to age, another miracle was not forthcoming.

Andy Murray knocked out of Wimbledon by relentless John Isner

Despite a valiant fightback, the American’s impenetrable serving proved a force too great to withstand as Murray succumbed to a 6-4 7-6 6-7 6-4 defeat on Centre Court

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