James Duckworth

There were echoes of vintage Murray as the two-times Wimbledon champion overcame a first-set setback to seal victory in the first round.

But with the gloom ascending on Wimbledon, Duckworth called the referee to ask whether the roof would come on and give him a much-needed breather. The referee agreed and at 8.44pm there was a 10-minute delay, but it didn’t unduly affect either player. A second break immediately followed, along with a familiar fist pump, and Murray quickly secured the third set 6-2. And at 3-2 on serve in the second set, he produced a defensive masterclass after earning breakpoint before his opponent finally strayed into the tramlines. But at 1-1 an exquisite drop shot earned him another which he capitalised on when Duckworth sent a backhand low into the net. However Murray could be comforted by the fact he had won their previous two matches, including after having been a set down at the US Open in 2018.

Andy Murray rallies past James Duckworth in four sets at Wimbledon on Centre Court to set a second-round clash against John Isner, who won a five-setter ...

The match came to an anticlimactic ending on an incorrect Duckworth challenge, but Murray showed how much it meant with several fist pumps and a big roar. But the World No. 74 dumped a double fault into the net to hand Murray the decisive advantage. "I thought I did well to rebound after the first set. Earlier this month, he returned for a week to the Top 50 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time since the week of 28 May 2018. Obviously I'm getting on a bit now, so I don't know how many more opportunities I [will] get to play on this court, so I want to make the most of every time I get to come out here now. There are few players who understand what Andy Murray has been through to return to the tennis court and compete at the highest level, but James Duckworth, who in January underwent hip surgery, is one of them.

Andy Murray recovered from dropping the first set to beat James Duckworth and reach the second round at Wimbledon.

Available to download now on - iPhone & iPad and Android I am heartbroken to be missing Wimbledon & to see my grass season end this way. Glad I managed to get through and hopefully get another match on here in a couple of days. He got his wish, but only after losing the third set. "I have been self-isolating and was hopeful I would be ready but unfortunately, I am still feeling unwell & unable to compete at my best. 2/2

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A few months later, Murray again got the better of him in the first round of the Brisbane Invitational. The pair first met in the first round of the 2018 US Open and Duckworth even took the first set in a tiebreak before Murray prevailed in four. Last season proves exactly that.

The 30-year-old tennis pro takes on former world number one Andy Murray on the first day of play at Wimbledon. Here's everything you need to know about the ...

His record against Murray is 0-2 in the Briton's favour. It forms less than a tenth of his $2,905,237 (£2,358,820) total career earnings to date. He enjoyed his best year at SW19 in 2021, when he reached the third round after defeating Sam Querrey. As is the case with Murray, Duckworth has faced problems with his hip in the run-up to the grand slam, according to the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He had surgery on the joint in January of this year.

Murray 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 Duckworth: Two-time Wimbledon champion recovers from a set down to advance to the second round.

“Certainly I’m in a better place than I was last year when I played here. “I wanted that, kind of for my own peace of mind to know that the injury has healed,” Murray revealed. You knew you had seen this fight before and although Murray tempered the baying crowd by reminding them of how grateful he is to still be enjoying these opportunities at all, the exciting part is there could be a lot more to come. Murray will need to play better, especially from the start, but there were encouraging signs throughout that he is indeed fit enough for the Championships after arriving in SW19 on the back of an injury scare. It came after an unsettling start as Duckworth, the world No 77, who is without a tour win this year, deployed an aggressive game from the baseline. It was another night on Centre Court where Andy Murray played all the hits, and even had room for a new trick.

Andy Murray hopes to have the chance to savour some more Centre Court moments at Wimbledon after getting his 2022 campaign up and running.

‘I wanted that kind of for my own peace of mind to know that the injury has healed. It was all clear for the first time on the scans, which is really positive. Obviously I still need to take precautions and still do some rehab and protect it when I can.