Murray briefly savors applause at Wimbledon

Associated Press

LONDON

It had been, famously, more than 75 years since a British man arrived at Wimbledon as the defending champion.

So Andy Murray took a moment — and, really, only a moment — to take in the sights and sounds Monday at Centre Court as nearly 15,000 spectators, including Shaquille O’Neal up in the Royal Box, rose to greet him with a raucous standing ovation.

Murray’s parents and grandparents were present. So, of course, was his much-discussed recent choice as coach, Amelie Mauresmo. The other player, 105th-ranked David Goffin of Belgium, was little more than a bystander for all of the proceedings, which wrapped up a little more than two hours after they began with a 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 victory for Murray.

“I was pretty nervous and stuff before the match. Then when you’re walking to the court — I have a lot of memories obviously from last year. To come to the court and get that reception, it was very nice,” said Murray, who last year became the first man from Britain since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the nation’s prestigious tennis tournament.

That title for Perry was his third in a row at the All England Club, but he did not try for another one in 1937.

Murray heeded advice from Mauresmo, the 2006 women’s champion at Wimbledon, who told him to soak in everything while walking out to play because, as he put it, “You never know if you’ll get the chance to do it again.”

He responded to the crowd’s reaction with a quick wave and a glance around the arena.

“Enjoyed it for the walk to the chair,” Murray said. “Then when I sat down, it was time to get on with business.”

Certainly took care of that. He was crisp and clean, finishing with only 10 unforced errors and saving the only two break points he faced. He pounded serves at up to 131 mph (211 kph) and returned Goffin’s not-quite-as-fast offerings with ease.

All the while, the fans roared for his winners and groaned as a group when their man lost points, no matter how or what significance. They gasped when Murray’s leg buckled a bit and he slipped to the fresh turf in the third game. He rose to his feet quickly and won that point, part of racing to a 3-0 lead.

“I always say the buildup to the tournament is the hardest part. Once the tournament starts, it’s fine,” said the third-seeded Murray.