Wimbledon: Andy Murray began his 15th Wimbledon singles campaign with a bang, putting on a show for the Princess of Wales and old nemesis Roger Federer on Centre Court.
The two-time winner defeated fellow Briton Ryan Peniston 6-3, 6-0, 6-1 beneath the roof to get to the second round.
Federer, whose career had been honoured with a brief film prior to the start of play, and the Princess of Wales returned to their places in the Royal Box’s front row in time for the opening shot of the match.
1⃣9⃣9⃣ Grand Slam wins and counting 👊@andy_murray | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/m8GBOebxQ8
— LTA (@the_LTA) July 4, 2023
“Obviously, it’s amazing to be back here playing on Centre Court,” Murray said of his performance. I was worried because I wanted to perform well.
“I started a little shaky, but once I got the break, I thought I played some good stuff as the match progressed. There are some encouraging signals.”
When asked if he felt the greatest going into Wimbledon since winning his second title in 2016, Murray answered, “Probably. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this physically prepared for Wimbledon, which is quite encouraging. The last few years have been extremely demanding, so I’m hoping to be in good shape for a good run.”
#Wimbledon first-round performance approval rating = 👍@RogerFederer | @Andy_Murray pic.twitter.com/TD2l8CGSVr
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2023
Murray’s performance was rated “very good” by Federer, and the Scot said, “It was amazing to have some royalty here, but also some tennis royalty.
“It’s fantastic to have Roger here to support the event. The last time I saw him on this court was during the Olympics, when he sat in Stan Wawrinka’s box against me. I hope Roger and Mirka are doing well.”
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a former Iranian prisoner who had watched Federer’s 2016 win from her jail, sat close behind Federer in the Royal Box, at Murray’s request.
“It was a very emotional experience talking to her and hearing her story,” he added. “It was fantastic that she was able to come along and see. I wanted to encourage her to come along and watch the tennis in a completely different setting.”
Murray began his 15th season, matching Jeremy Bates’ open-era record for a British man, and he would have felt confident knowing that in roughly 1,000 tour-level matches, he had never lost to a player rated as low as Peniston’s 268.
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