Andy Murray’s five-set victory against Oscar Otte on Wednesday evening was a typical Murray experience. There were many ups and downs, and he showed both positive and negative emotions. After finding a way through, the Scot lifted both arms as if he was a gladiator who just triumphed at the Colosseum.
“One of the reasons why I'm still playing is because of moments like that,” Murray said. “Why would you want to give that up? The atmosphere… was good the whole match, but especially the last hour-and-a-half was brilliant. I still enjoy that.”
Play was suspended early in the fourth set, with Murray down two sets to one. The two-time Wimbledon champion returned to Centre Court keen to use the crowd to his advantage.
“I picked a few people in the crowd and was basically staring at them pretty much after every point and trying to just engage with them,” Murray said. “The crowd created a great atmosphere, but I think I was also engaging them and we were feeding off each other a lot at the end.
“I’m aware in the moment. I know what a great atmosphere is in tennis. I have played in a few of them over the years, and that was definitely one of them. Obviously when the atmosphere is like that and things are going your way, it's a nice feeling.”
Murray spotted several fans whom he engaged with, including two guys with Scotland rugby shirts.
“They were just really loud and it was quite close to where I was getting my towel and stuff, and they were always sort of standing up,” Murray said. “Then there was the other guy that was down at near where the radio booths were. He was just standing up all the time and getting pumped and he just caught my eye.
“Each time I won a point, and even when I lost points just [was] looking at him. The crowd feels that I guess and feel like you're feeding off them and stuff. It was nice. It helps. It's something I have done a number of times over the years in certain matches.
“I hope the fans like it and don't think that it's a bit weird that I'm sort of staring at them and screaming at them for like an hour, but they seem to enjoy it, as well.”
It will not get any easier for Murray, who will next play dynamic shotmaker Denis Shapovalov, who is seeded 10th. This will be their first ATP Head2Head meeting.
“One of the reasons why I'm still playing is because of moments like that,” Murray said. “Why would you want to give that up? The atmosphere… was good the whole match, but especially the last hour-and-a-half was brilliant. I still enjoy that.”
Play was suspended early in the fourth set, with Murray down two sets to one. The two-time Wimbledon champion returned to Centre Court keen to use the crowd to his advantage.
“I picked a few people in the crowd and was basically staring at them pretty much after every point and trying to just engage with them,” Murray said. “The crowd created a great atmosphere, but I think I was also engaging them and we were feeding off each other a lot at the end.
“I’m aware in the moment. I know what a great atmosphere is in tennis. I have played in a few of them over the years, and that was definitely one of them. Obviously when the atmosphere is like that and things are going your way, it's a nice feeling.”
Murray spotted several fans whom he engaged with, including two guys with Scotland rugby shirts.
“They were just really loud and it was quite close to where I was getting my towel and stuff, and they were always sort of standing up,” Murray said. “Then there was the other guy that was down at near where the radio booths were. He was just standing up all the time and getting pumped and he just caught my eye.
“Each time I won a point, and even when I lost points just [was] looking at him. The crowd feels that I guess and feel like you're feeding off them and stuff. It was nice. It helps. It's something I have done a number of times over the years in certain matches.
“I hope the fans like it and don't think that it's a bit weird that I'm sort of staring at them and screaming at them for like an hour, but they seem to enjoy it, as well.”
It will not get any easier for Murray, who will next play dynamic shotmaker Denis Shapovalov, who is seeded 10th. This will be their first ATP Head2Head meeting.