Britain’s Andy Murray kept his record of never losing a first-round at Wimbledon with an encouraging win over James Duckworth of Australia. After a slow start, possibly as a result of a recent abdominal injury, Murray found a rhythm and his quality shone.
The former world number one, now ranked 52, won 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 in the floodlights of Center Court at 21:35 BST. The 35-year-old Scott will now face 20th seed John Isner of America in the second round.
“It is amazing to be back out here again with a full crowd,” said Murray, a two-time Wimbledon champion.
“I’m getting on a bit now so I don’t know how many opportunities I will get here.
“I’m pleased I managed to get through and hopefully I will get another match here on Centre in a couple of days.”
Murray’s slow start allowed Duckworth to successfully execute his intended plan to play aggressively and set points. Murray often missed the trick, knocking a forehand into the net for a breakpoint at 4-4, and Duckworth dropped it to serve for the set with a rasping forehand winner. Another blast from that wing sealed the opener for the Australian, leaving the home fans on centre court murmuring to their surprise.
Murray began to land higher for the first serve in the second set, giving him the platform to quickly put pressure on Duckworth. Murray dropped only two points in his service game, helping to serve more firsts and winning 100% of those points.
His return game also began to improve, with Murray highlighting that as a key factor in the turnaround.
Like Murray, Duckworth has also seen his career hampered by injuries and had hip surgery earlier this year. He had played just eight matches since returning in May – losing six of them – and adrenaline alone was never enough to win a five-set Grand Slam match.
Murray’s superior quality continued to shine in the third as well, dominating to advance to a 4–1 lead before digging deeper to see the pressure in his next service game.
With the court dark, Duckworth wanted the roof to be turned off and the floodlights on but had to wait until Murray had completed the third set. The fourth set was delicately designed without any breaks on service until two double faults at 4-4 from Duckworth enabled Murray to win.