Alejandro Davidovich Fokina insisted he had no regrets despite an ill-advised underarm serve virtually handing victory to Holger Rune in their third-round clash at Wimbledon.

The Spaniard had let an 8-5 lead slip in the deciding first-to-10-point tie-break when, at 8-8, he decided to pull out an underarm serve, which sixth seed Rune easily put away before clinching a 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-4 7-6 (8) win on the next point.

Davidovich Fokina was unrepentant, though, calling the shot simply “another serve”. Asked if he would make the same decision again, he added: “Why not?”

The 24-year-old, who is ranked 34, insisted he would look back on the match positively, saying: “I won’t regret anything.

“I’m happy for this match that I did because I was struggling on grass and how I played today I convinced myself that I have a lot of things in myself.”

It is the third time in his last five matches at Wimbledon that Davidovich Fokina has shot himself in the foot with highly questionable decisions.

In a first-round meeting with Hubert Hurkacz 12 months ago, he was 40-0 up serving for the match in the third set when he tried an unnecessary tweener.

Davidovich Fokina did eventually come through that one in a deciding fifth-set tie-break only to lose to Jiri Vesely in another tie-break in the second round when he smashed a ball out of the court while match point down and was given a point penalty.

Rune has had plenty of dramatic moments in grand slams himself this season and has now played a match tie-break at each event – losing to Andrey Rublev in Australia before beating Francisco Cerundolo in Paris.

He certainly was not complaining about Davidovich Fokina’s moment of madness, saying: “I was not expecting for sure that that was going to come.

“Actually it was nice because he was serving unbelievable so I was like, ‘OK’, it was a chance to get a match point. I had to be fast with the feet. Wow, what a match.”

Rune next faces either Frances Tiafoe or Grigor Dimitrov, who was leading by two sets to love when rain forced an early end to the day’s play on the outside courts.

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka marched into the fourth round at Wimbledon with a routine 6-2 6-3 victory over Anna Blinkova.

Australian Open winner Sabalenka needed three sets to overcome Varvara Gracheva in a trick tie on Friday but 24 hours later remained in total control against her Moscow-born opponent.

Sabalenka, part of the unofficial ‘big three’ in women’s tennis alongside defending champion Elena Rybakina and world number one Iga Swiatek, finished the match with consecutive aces and hit 30 winners to stay on course to reach the last-four of a fourth successive grand slam.

Both players missed Wimbledon last year after Russian and Belarusian players were banned due to the Ukraine war, but Sabalenka had shown her potential on grass in 2021 with a semi-final showing and quickly set about making the last-16.

There were aces and backhand winners aplenty for the world number two during a first set on Court One that lasted 31 minutes and contained three breaks for the right-hander.

Blinkova had struggled with her serve, but the harsh reality was she could not handle Sabalenka’s relentless hitting.

An early break for the Russian in the second was wiped out instantly with a crunching forehand return by Sabalenka, who had to be at her best to hold during a 14-minute seventh game.

Victory in 81 minutes was sealed with back-to-back aces to send the 25-year-old into the second week of Wimbledon once again.

“I think it was definitely better tennis than yesterday the first set,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview.

“It was tough, she played really well, tough end to the match and super happy with this win.

“It was like a nightmare that (seventh) game. Somehow I managed to finish that game with a win, but yeah it was crazy.

“A crazy game. Super happy I was able to handle myself in that situation.”

Sabalenka will face another Russian in round four after 21st seed Ekaterina Alexandrova was the first female winner on day six with a 6-0 6-4 victory over Dalma Galfi on Court 18.

The wet weather disrupted some of the early play on Saturday but Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia beat the rain to down Sorana Cirstea 6-2 6-2 on Court Three before a suspension meant there was no time for an on-court interview.

When play did resume in SW19, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova finished the run of qualifier Natalija Stevanovic in straight sets.

Carlos Alcaraz remains on course to meet Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final – but the seven-time champion will not be having sleepless nights just yet.

World number one Alcaraz, touted as the only realistic challenger to Djokovic this fortnight, joined the Serbian in the fourth round after beating Nicolas Jarry.

But it took the Spaniard four sets and almost four hours to get past a player who had not played at Wimbledon for four years and before this week had only won one match here.

Chilean Jarry is a player on an upward curve, however, having risen from 152 in the world at the start of the year to a career-high 28.

Nevertheless, it looked like being plain sailing when Alcaraz won his 17th consecutive set with a solitary break.

But in the second-set tie-break, Alcaraz dumped a forehand into the net to drop a set for the first time since he played Arthur Rinderknech in the first round at Queen’s last month.

Alcaraz regained the initiative to take the third with a solitary break while Jarry hit the roof – literally – with one particularly wild swing.

Yet the indefatigable Jarry found a second wind and broke again at the start of the fourth, before an incorrect challenge from Alcaraz – who stopped playing only to discover Jarry’s return had clipped the baseline – left him on his haunches in annoyance with himself.

But Alcaraz steadied himself to hit back for 3-4 and then showed why he is the player at the top of the tree with an unstoppable backhand return to break before serving out for a hard-earned 6-3 6-7 (6) 6-3 7-5 victory.

“It has been really tough, Nicolas is a really great player, he’s playing really well,” said Alcaraz. “I’m just really happy with the level I played to get through this tough round.

“I had to stay focused. I knew I would have my chances. I would say the key is to believe and stay focused all the time.”

Third seed Daniil Medvedev also dropped a set but hit back to beat Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4.

Katie Boulter will fly the British flag on her own on day six at Wimbledon as she plays Elena Rybakina.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz opens Centre Court for the second successive day as he takes on Chilean Nicolas Jarry.

Elsewhere, last year’s runner-up Ons Jabeur will face former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu and second seed Aryna Sabalenka will be in action.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at Saturday’s action.

It was just two years ago that Matteo Berrettini made the final at Wimbledon, but injuries have seen him slide down the rankings.

As a result he was not seeded for this tournament and it meant the prospect of a tricky draw.

And having beaten 15th seed Alex De Minaur in the second round, he now squares off with 19th seed Alexander Zverev.

The German, too, is feeling his way back from a serious injury and in days gone by this match-up would not have been out of place in the latter part of the second week.

With Berrettini serving brilliantly against De Minaur and Zverev not traditionally an outstanding performer at SW19, the Italian could send another seed packing.

Two entertainers will meet on Centre Court as Ons Jabeur takes on Bianca Andreescu in a third-round clash.

Jabeur, last year’s beaten finalist, regularly practises with her Canadian opponent and recently taught her how to play the tweener.

Andreescu is a former US Open champion, but will be playing her third match in three days as she has had to play catch-up with the weather, while Jabeur is well rested after a trouble-free first three matches.

There will be slices, drop shots and possibly tweeners galore as both women eye a place in the second week.

After a chastening afternoon for the British men on Friday, when Cameron Norrie, Andy Murray and Liam Broady all lost within 90 minutes of each other, Katie Boulter is flying the flag for home players in the singles.

She has one of the toughest tests possible as she plays defending champion Elena Rybakina on Centre Court.

The third seed has not exactly been too convincing in her opening two rounds and Boulter will try and feed off a partisan home crowd as she looks to reach the fourth round for the first time.

Centre Court
Carlos Alcaraz v Nicolas Jarry
Ons Jabeur v Bianca Andreescu
Katie Boulter v Elena Rybakina

Court One
Daniil Medvedev v Martin Fucsovics
Aryna Sabalenka v Anna Blinkova
Alexander Zverev v Matteo Berrettini

Hot and humid with the chance of thundery showers.

Andy Murray has "done it all" and should be acclaimed in the same vein as greats Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, according to Mark Philippoussis.

Friday marked the 10-year anniversary of Murray capturing the first of his two Wimbledon titles, with the Scot beating Djokovic in straight sets to win the 2013 final.

Murray's return of three major titles fails to compare to those of the 'Big Three', with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer boasting 23, 22 and 20 grand slam singles triumphs respectively.

However, Murray can also count two Olympic gold medals – won in 2012 in London and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro – among his achievements. 

While Nadal won gold in the singles tournament at the 2008 Games, the now-retired Federer only captured gold in the doubles event, alongside Stan Wawrinka in 2008.

Djokovic, meanwhile, took singles bronze in Beijing but is yet to win gold, and Philippoussis feels Murray's record across various tournaments means he should be considered among the greats.

Asked about Murray's accomplishments, two-time grand slam finalist Philippoussis told Stats Perform: "If you look at the numbers, as far as what he's won, he's actually one of the only guys to win everything. 

"He's won [a] grand slam, he's won the Davis Cup, he's won an Olympic gold. 

"He's done it all, and when you talk about the greats like Djokovic, Federer and Rafa, they haven't all won every single thing. 

"I think Roger has won the Davis Cup and he's won gold, but I think he won it in doubles, not singles, if I'm not mistaken. 

"He [Murray] is one of the only ones who have done that, and to win your home slam as a Brit at Wimbledon – the biggest one – the pressure must have been incredible, then to have done it at home with the Olympic gold as well."

Murray was unable to mark the anniversary of his maiden Wimbledon triumph with a win, as he slipped to a 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 4-6 defeat to fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a delayed second-round contest on Centre Court.

Novak Djokovic beat Stan Wawrinka and the Wimbledon curfew to book his place in the fourth round.

The match did not begin until 8.40pm, an hour later than Andy Murray and Stefanos Tsitsipas got under way on Thursday, but Djokovic finished a 6-3 6-1 7-6 (5) victory with 14 minutes to spare.

It certainly did Wawrinka no favours that Djokovic was against the clock as he clicked straight into top gear and pushed the pace at every opportunity.

It was a 31st consecutive victory for Djokovic at the All England Club, equalling Pete Sampras’ best, and the seven-time champion said: “He was two points away from extending this match to another day. Coming to the court we knew it was going to be really tight.

“I know I can always play better, I always have a couple of gears that I can go higher. Hopefully as the tournament progresses I can play better and better.”

This was a 27th meeting between the pair and, although Djokovic led 20-6, at grand slams they were tied at 4-4, with two of Wawrinka’s three titles coming after victories over the Serbian in finals.

Both were some years ago now, though, and it has been a long road back to the top 100 for 38-year-old Wawrinka after knee and foot surgeries.

Wimbledon has been by some distance his weakest slam and he cheerfully wrote off his chances completely ahead of a first grass-court meeting with Djokovic.

That proved to be realistic rather than pessimistic as Djokovic pounded precision groundstrokes into the corners, time and again drawing errors from his opponent after thumping exchanges.

Wawrinka’s statistics did not make pretty reading but it would be harsh to criticise the veteran too much, aside from a very low first-serve percentage, given the barrage of quality coming from the other end.

He served much better in the third set and fought exceptionally hard to force a tie-break.

Djokovic had won his last 11 tie-breaks at grand slams, famously not making an unforced error in six at the French Open. That record was in danger here when Wawrinka went 5-3 up but he was unable to send the contest to a second day as Djokovic booked a date with Hubert Hurkacz.

British participation in the men’s singles came to an end on day five at Wimbledon with painful defeats for Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Liam Broady.

The trio exited the tournament within a 90-minute window on a Friday evening that also saw victories for French Open champions Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek on Centre Court.

Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka, two of the favourites for the respective singles titles at the All England Club, were the other notable winners on a bumper day of the Championships where temperatures hit 29C.

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British hopes were high heading into day five, with Murray two sets to one up against Tsitsipas, Cameron Norrie set to face the unseeded Chris Eubanks and Liam Broady on a high ahead of facing 26th Denis Shapovalov.

Amid plenty of twists and turns, that hope turned to despair when each home favourite exited Wimbledon between 5.59pm and 7.29pm.

Norrie suffered the first knockout blow, going down to the canvas and never getting back up in four sets to Eubanks before Murray endured five-set heartbreak 18 minutes later.

Broady wrapped up the hour-and-a-half of pain as he missed the chance to serve for a two set to one lead before eventually losing in four.

It means Katie Boulter, who teamed up with boyfriend Alex De Minaur to good success in the mixed doubles on day five, remains the latest British singles’ player in the tournament.

And she faces the small task of trying to take out the defending champion Elena Rybakina on Centre Court on Saturday.

Andy Murray’s heartbreaking loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas capped a day of misery for British players at Wimbledon.

The raucous delight of Thursday night’s Centre Court crowd, who had seen Murray go two sets to one up when the 11pm curfew came into play, ebbed away on Friday afternoon as Tsitsipas fought back to win 7-6 (3) 6-7 (2) 4-6 7-6 (3) 6-4.

It was a hugely disappointing way for Murray to mark the 10th anniversary of his career-defining first Wimbledon title, and he offered no guarantees that he would be back at the All England Club in a competitive capacity in a very downbeat press conference.

The 36-year-old is not yet ready to hang up his racket but it was clear how much this one hurt, and he said: “Motivation is obviously a big thing. Continuing having early losses in tournaments like this don’t necessarily help with that.

“It’s similar to, I guess, last year. I had a long think about things, spoke to my family, decided to keep on going.

“I don’t plan to stop right now. But this one will take a little while to get over. Hopefully (I’ll) find the motivation again to keep training, keep pushing, try and keep getting better.”

Murray’s exit swiftly followed that of British number one Cameron Norrie, who was beaten 6-3 3-6 6-2 7-6 (3) by unseeded American Chris Eubanks.

It was a third disappointing slam defeat of the year for Norrie, who had hoped to match or even surpass last year’s brilliant run to the semi-finals.

He gave credit to his big-hitting opponent, for whom this was a breakthrough moment, saying: “I think credit to Chris on that one. He played unbelievable.

“Served well. Came out, was hitting the ball huge. Didn’t miss at all. I got outplayed. I couldn’t really get into the match how I wanted. Wasn’t feeling the ball that well today.

“I fought as hard as I could. I came up against someone who was really confident. He played great. So he definitely deserved to win the match.

“I wanted to play well at the slams. It’s not quite working out for me right now. I’m preparing as well as I can, leaving no stone unturned with my team, my preparation and everything. More than anything, I’m disappointed.”

Liam Broady was the only British man to make the third round but his singles campaign ended 90 minutes after Norrie’s with a 4-6 6-2 7-5 7-5 loss to Denis Shapovalov.

He took no comfort from going the furthest, saying: “It kind of makes it worse that we’ve all lost on the same day. Obviously I’d have preferred for us all to have won. Probably would have felt a bit better if we’d staggered what days we lost on, whereas now it’s a bit of a Debbie Downer, isn’t it?”

The 29-year-old can reflect on a very positive week overall, though, after knocking out fourth seed Casper Ruud in the second round, and he is targeting a top-100 breakthrough for the first time in his career.

“The hard court season now is an amazing opportunity for me,” he said. “Even if I could win one of the Challengers or have a deep run at one of the ATPs, I could be top 100 before the US (Open). That’s the goal.”

The trio of defeats mean Katie Boulter, who takes on defending women’s champion Elena Rybakina in the third round on Saturday, is the only British player left in singles.

Liam Broady described the 90 minutes where he, Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie all exited Wimbledon as a “Debbie Downer”.

Broady’s impressive journey ended in the third round after he was unable to produce a repeat of his shock victory of Casper Ruud when beaten 4-6 6-2 7-5 7-5 by Denis Shapovalov.

The defeat ended British interest in the men’s singles as Broady followed Murray and Norrie out on a chastening afternoon for the male home players.

He did get further than his two compatriots, who both went out in the second round, as he matched his best performance at a grand slam, but says that did not count for much.

Asked if he could take any pride out of that, he said: “Not particularly, no. It kind of makes it worse that we’ve all lost on the same day, as well.

“Obviously I’d have preferred for us all to have won. Probably would have felt a bit better if we’d staggered what days we lost on, whereas now it’s a bit of a Debbie Downer, isn’t it?

“For all three of those results to happen on the same day is pretty rough.”

Broady will perhaps have some regrets as he served to go two sets to one up against Shapovalov, but will leave the tournament feeling proud of his efforts as the British man who got the furthest.

The £131,000 payday and rankings boost will make a tangible difference to his career, starting with the prospect of him making the US Open main draw next month.

“Obviously to make third round, being ranked 140 in the world, beating Constant Lestienne first round, that’s an upset in itself. Doing it in straight sets was amazing as well.

“Then obviously to beat Casper on Centre yesterday, it feels like it was a week ago already.

“Then really it’s difficult going on court less than 24 hours after you finish a five-set match on Centre in that way. Such an emotional and stressful match. Then straight back out there against a top, top grass-court player.

“Denis was just the better player, better man out there today. But, again, I think I can take the positives from it.

“The hard court season now is an amazing opportunity for me. Even if I could win one of the Challengers or have a deep run at one of the ATPs, I could be top 100 before the US Open.

“That’s the goal at the end of the day.”

Katie Boulter’s love match with boyfriend Alex De Minaur ended in an impressive first-round victory in the mixed doubles at Wimbledon.

The couple, playing together competitively for the first time, beat Australian duo Storm Hunter and John Peers 6-2 6-4.

It was an uplifting end to a tough day for De Minaur, who lost in three sets to Matteo Berrettini in the singles.

British number one Boulter, who won her first title in Nottingham last month, faces defending champion Elena Rybakina in the third round on Saturday.

De Minaur may be ranked 17 in the world, but he believes his partner’s recent success should be a lesson to him.

“Since the moment I met her I knew she had it in her,” he said.

“I’ve always thought she’s such a high-quality player, and it’s been amazing and great to see how she’s developed. She’s got that self-belief and what she’s been able to accomplish.

“I mean, the way she’s been handling the spotlight, the pressures, it’s been pretty astounding to me. You know, now it’s probably my turn to start learning from her.

“But yeah, she’s been playing amazing. She’s been doing amazing. She’s shown again this week that she deserves to be where she’s at, and I think, genuinely think, that it’s only the beginning.

“Hopefully she can keep on going and finish off a great year.”

Iga Swiatek overcame a late start and the lack of a Centre Court crowd to progress into the fourth round of Wimbledon with a straight-sets win over Petra Martic.

Swiatek had been scheduled to play second on the biggest venue at the All England Club on Friday, but Andy Murray’s unfinished match with Stefanos Tsitsipas had to be squeezed in before she did battle with the 30th seed.

By the time Swiatek walked out just before 6.30pm, the majority of the crowd had exited following Murray’s five-set defeat.

But the world number one showed why she is a four-time grand-slam champion with a professional display in a 6-2 7-5 victory that equals her best showing in SW19.

After a long wait to begin her quest to make the last-16 for a second time, Swiatek had to save three break points and needed six minutes to hold in her first service game.

It was a sign of things to come with three consecutive breaks following before the Polish right-hander ended the sequence to go 4-2 up.

A powerful backhand winner from behind the baseline clinched a third break and despite being troubled by an insect on her foot at set point, Swiatek closed out the opener 6-2.

The final score did not tell the full story with Martic forcing more break point opportunities but only converting one from four.

More spectators filtered into Centre Court ahead of the second set and Swiatek started to up her level, showing impressive agility to land a volley before she repeated the trick to end a thrilling net exchange with a glorious passing winner.

Another change of ends, with Martic leading 3-2 on serve, saw the attendance increase and those new to their green seats were welcomed with an exquisite backhand from Swiatek.

Swiatek was in the zone now and a rocket of a return brought up break point and another flush forehand sealed it.

Two more winners followed in an easy hold that put her a game away from round four, but Martic, who has made the last-16 on three occasions in SW19, suddenly dug in.

One match point was saved by the Croatian, who after a dogged hold went on to break Swiatek to make it 5-5.

It allowed more fans to flood back in with Centre Court closer to capacity now and they were treated to two more games, the first featuring a sumptuous backhand return that helped Swiatek break again before she booked her spot in the last-16 for only a second time at Wimbledon.

Next up is 14th seed and Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, but Swiatek feels there is more to come from her on the English lawn.

She said in her on-court interview: “Well for sure, it wasn’t easy. Petra was playing well, I tried to be focused from beginning to the end.

“I am happy to win in two sets and happy with my performance.

“There is always something to improve. I am still 22 so I feel I have a lot to learn. I hope I will get better and better every year. That is my ambition.

“Belinda is playing a great game, we all know she can play great tennis but fourth round of a slam, really looking forward to that match.”

Cameron Norrie admitted he was well beaten after suffering a second-round knockout to Chris Eubanks at Wimbledon.

The British number one was left dazed by American Eubanks’ powerful hitting and his haymaker of a serve in a punishing 6-3 3-6 6-2 7-6 (3) defeat.

“I think credit to Chris on that one. He played unbelievable. Served well. Came out, was hitting the ball huge. Didn’t miss at all,” said Norrie.

“I got outplayed. I couldn’t really get into the match how I wanted. Wasn’t feeling the ball that well today.

“I fought as hard as I could. I came up against someone who was really confident. He played great. So he definitely deserved to win the match. I told him that. Everything went his way today, and he deserved it.

“He completely took the racket out of my hand today. I did what I could, but it wasn’t enough.”

The first 20 points of the contest all went with serve, including nine aces, seven from the arm of Eubanks.

And it was the world number 43 who landed the first blow, breaking Norrie to love on his way to taking the opening set.

Norrie, the 12th seed and a semi-finalist last year, had barely laid a glove on his opponent, winning just three points on the Eubanks serve.

But the South African-born southpaw hauled himself off the canvas and secured an early break in the second set to level the match.

However, Norrie has looked ring-rusty in recent months and Eubanks, a grass-court title-winner in Mallorca in June, took advantage by breaking twice for the third set.

Eubanks dropped his guard in the fourth, losing his serve to love, but he hit back for 4-4 to leave Norrie on the ropes.

Norrie survived a match point on serve when a Eubanks forehand thudded into the net.

But Eubanks was too strong in the tie-break, a quick one-two of a booming forehand and delicate volley leaving Norrie out for the count.

“It’s the biggest win of my career, no question, by far,” said the 27-year-old.

“Considering the moment, considering the stage, who I was playing, where I played him. By far the biggest win of my career.”

Prior to his Mallorca win, Eubanks had texted former grand slam champion Kim Clisters, saying grass was “the stupidest surface to play tennis on”.

He added: “That’s a very different person now, I can tell you that much. I’m loving the grass right now. That person who texted Kim was not too high on it. Very different.”

A devastated Andy Murray was left questioning his motivation to keep going after Stefanos Tsitsipas fought back to win their delayed second-round clash on Centre Court.

The Scot was two sets to one up overnight after the 11pm curfew came into play but he was unable to complete the job, with fifth seed Tsitsipas battling to a 7-6 (3) 6-7 (2) 4-6 7-6 (3) 6-4 victory.

It was a hugely disappointing way for Murray to mark the 10th anniversary of his career-defining first Wimbledon title, and he is all too aware that his chances for another deep run here are ebbing away.

The 36-year-old is not yet ready to hang up his racket but it was clear how much this one hurt, and he said: “Motivation is obviously a big thing. Continuing having early losses in tournaments like this don’t necessarily help with that.

“It’s similar to, I guess, last year. I had a long think about things, spoke to my family, decided to keep on going.

“I don’t plan to stop right now. But this one will take a little while to get over. Hopefully (I’ll) find the motivation again to keep training, keep pushing, try and keep getting better.”

Murray missed the French Open to focus on his grass-court preparations and arrived at the All England Club feeling confident and healthy for the first time since winning his second title in 2016.

He was unfortunate to run into a top seed so early, and there were many aspects of his performance that were positive, but he clearly fancied his chances against Tsitsipas on grass.

For all his incredible efforts at the Australian Open this year and other close calls, he has not gone beyond the third round at a grand slam since his hip problems began back in 2017.

There was very little to choose between the pair throughout this contest, with both players dropping serve just once.

But Tsitsipas’ break in the third game of the deciding set proved the crucial one after the Greek had withstood pressure from Murray to force another tie-break in the fourth.

The crowd willed Murray to find a way back into the match and he saved two match points in the final game, but Tsitsipas clinched his third with an ace to set up a very winnable third round against Laslo Djere.

“You never know how many opportunities you’re going to get to play here,” said Murray. “The defeats maybe feel a bit tougher. But every year that Wimbledon’s not gone how I would like, it’s been hard.

“Obviously it’s brilliant to play in great atmospheres. It makes playing the matches more enjoyable and creates certainly better memories.

“But ultimately this was an opportunity for me. I had a good chance of having a proper run for the first time in a long time at a slam. I didn’t take it. Regardless of the atmosphere and those things, it’s still very, very disappointing to be sitting here right now.”

Murray looked on the verge of tears when he was informed during his press conference that a return he hit at 15-30 that was called out in fact clipped the line.

“That’s obviously frustrating because I remember,” he said. “I think it was a backhand cross-court return, very short. I probably would have won the point.”

Murray could have challenged the call but he criticised umpire Aurelie Tourte for not spotting the mistake.

“It was right underneath the umpire’s nose,” he said. “They shouldn’t be missing that. I assumed the umpire would have made the right call.”

Tennis is increasingly moving towards automated line calls, and Murray added: “Right now I obviously would rather it was done automatically. It’s a hard one because I probably prefer having the line judges on the court. It feels nicer to me.”

Murray had no complaints about the match being halted 20 minutes before the curfew on Thursday at the end of the third set or the fact it resumed with the roof open, changing the conditions.

“My opinion is that this is an outdoor tournament,” he said. “They should be trying their hardest to play as much tennis outdoors as possible.”

Murray, meanwhile, had sparked alarm right before the close of play on Thursday by screaming in pain and going down clutching his left hip, but there was no sign of any discomfort in the final two sets.

“I wouldn’t describe it as an injury,” he said. “I obviously slipped, had some initial pain and discomfort. It’s like sort of a jarring of the joint. It can be a little bit sore. I pulled up OK today.”

Liam Broady’s impressive Wimbledon journey is over after he was beaten in the third round by Denis Shapovalov.

The British number five enjoyed a dream Centre Court victory over fourth seed Casper Ruud on Thursday but he was unable to produce another shock, going down 4-6 6-2 7-5 7-5.

The defeat ended British interest in the men’s singles as Broady followed Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie out on a chastening afternoon for the male home players.

He will perhaps have some regrets as he served to go two sets to one up against Shapovalov, but will leave the tournament feeling proud of his efforts as the British man who got the furthest.

He matched his best performance at a grand slam and the £131,000 payday and rankings boost will make a tangible difference to his career, starting with the prospect of him making the US Open main draw next month.

There were questions over how he would pull up after Thursday’s five-setter, and with Shapovalov also playing on Thursday both men made an inauspicious start as there were four breaks of serve by the time it got to 3-3.

Broady began to find his rhythm against the below-par Canadian and pounced at 4-5, breaking for the third time to take the first set.

It was a typically erratic performance from the 26th seed, one moment ripping an unplayable one-handed backhand, the next missing an open-court volley but he managed get two breaks in the second set to level things up.

Helped by some more wayward Shapovalov hitting the Briton manoeuvred himself into a commanding position in the third set and he served for it at 5-3.

But the Canadian regained his level and reeled off four successive games to take a set that looked to have gone.

To his credit, Broady stuck with it in the fourth set, but Shapovalov struck at 5-5 and then served it out to end British hopes for another year, with all three men going out within an hour and a half of each other.

Matteo Berrettini proved he is the nightmare draw for Wimbledon’s seeds after pulverising Alex De Minaur in straight sets.

Italian Berrettini, the runner-up in 2021, missed last year’s Championships with coronavirus and has endured an injury-hit season, meaning he was unable to defend his Queen’s Club title in the build-up to the Championships.

Having slipped down the rankings to 37, Berrettini is unseeded at SW19, but he showed his grass-court pedigree by dispatching Australian 15th seed De Minaur, who reached the Queen’s final this year, 6-3 6-4 6-4.

“Last year, what happened last year is something that I think it didn’t heal yet. It’s a really sharp pain, if I think about it,” he said.

“I probably was in the best shape in my career, especially feeling great on grass. I wanted to enjoy the tournament. Such a special tournament for me.

“Not being able to play was something that, even when I was better physically, was really tough mentally to overcome.

“That’s why I’m here this year, because I missed last year. I was really sad. Even playing like a few points would have been good this year.

“That’s why I’m really happy. I’m really glad. I know it’s the third round, but it feels like way more.”

Third seed Daniil Medvedev wasted little time finishing off his match against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.

The Russian was angry when play was suspended on Thursday evening while he led by two sets with the score at 4-4 in the third.

Medvedev returned to Court Two and duly completed a 6-3 6-3 7-6 (5) victory to set up a third-round meeting with Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics.

“It’s not easy to play two different days. The last time I had it, I lost to (Hubert) Hurkacz here two years ago,” he said.

“At 4-4, it’s never easy. Straight away you’re nervous, you don’t want to lose this set because the momentum of the match can change.

“So I’m happy that I managed to close it out on the tie-break. Happy that I managed to push it through and be here tomorrow.”