For once there was to be no inspired comeback, no late-night drama before an adoring and raucously partisan British crowd. This time, neither the closure of the Centre Court roof nor his opponent’s inexperience on the hallowed turf beneath it could save Andy Murray. Denis Shapovalov would not allow it. The 10th seed had seen what happened to Nikoloz Basilashvili and Oscar Otte, Murray’s victims in the previous two rounds, and determined that the role of stooge was not for him. The result was a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 defeat for Murray that played out much as one might expect from a contest that pitted a 22-year-old ranked 12th in the world against a man 12 years his senior, encumbered by a metal hip, and with only eight top-level matches under his belt this year.
That we expected anything different is testament to Murray’s enduring power to defy the odds. But this was not the same player who had fought back so memorably in the face of adversity in the previous two rounds. Or if it was, it was the listless, error-prone figure who twice let slip a seemingly unassailable lead, rather than the warrior who returned from the roof-closing interval to seal victory. Those matches, which could both have been won sooner, put more than seven hours of tennis in Murray’s legs. Shapovalov, on the other hand, was the beneficiary of a walkover in the previous round and had not played for three days. Murray was never going to match the energy levels of his opponent. What will have concerned him more is that he was simply outplayed by a quicker and more powerful opponent.
If there was one moment that encapsulated the difference between the two players, it came early in the second set, when the Canadian slipped to the turf while making a return before clambering up and sprinting to the opposite corner, drawing an error from Murray. The Scot had fallen twice early on, and on each occasion the chief concern had been his physical wellbeing rather than the outcome of the point. Thankfully, Murray survived unscathed both times. One of the many positives he can take from his run in SW19 is how well his body has withstood the rigours of the best-of-five format. Murray acknowledged as much afterwards but also suggested that, if he cannot find an injury-free period to work on his game and bring it up to the level required to compete with the likes of Shapovalov, he would have to reconsider his future.
“The amazing support here reminds you why you do all the work,” said Murray. “But if I’m going to put that much effort in, I want to be performing better than I did here, even though there were some really great moments. I got through a week of a slam without getting injured, so that’s positive. But I can play better and close matches out better. To do that, I need time on the match court and the practice court, and I’ve had neither in the past few months. Is all of that training and everything that you’re doing in the gym, unless you’re able to practise and improve your game and get matches and get a run of tournaments, is it worth all of the work that you’re doing? There is part of me that feels like, yes, it is, because I had great memories and stuff from this event and playing in some brilliant atmospheres. But I finished the match tonight and I’m saying to my team, ‘I’m just not happy with how I played.’
“So, unless me and my team can find a way of keeping me on the court for a consistent period of time and allow me to practise the way that I need to to compete with these guys, that’s when the discussions about what I do next will come in. Because I have genuinely put a lot into this to get to this point, but I’m not being able to practise and prepare how I need to to perform how I would like at these events. I’m not expecting and saying I would beat Denis Shapovalov. He’s a brilliant player. But I feel like I can do a lot better than I did this evening.”
Murray’s best moments came in the first set, which he came within a point of levelling after trailing 5-1. Shapovalov was equal to the challenge, however, and having served out the set he dropped only four more games. “I told Andy at the net that he’s my hero,” said Shapovaolv, who will play Roberto Bautista Agut in round four following the Spaniard’s 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Dominik Koepfer. “Achievements aside, what he’s been able to do, coming back with an injury like this, moving the way he’s moving – in his second round, it was like vintage Andy. Playing him was super intense and I had to give it my all. It’s incredible what he’s done to make it to the third round.”
There was more bad news for Britain earlier in the day when Dan Evans, the 22nd seed, lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Sebastian Korda, the son of former Australian Open champion Petr Korda. “It was a good chance to have a decent run. It hurts to come up short,” Evans told the BBC. “It feels like I’m running out time. It was a good opportunity at home. It’s tough to go out like that.”
Novak Djokovic, the top seed, saw off the American qualifier Denis Kudla 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7) and will play Cristian Garin of Chile in the last 16. Andrey Rublev, the fifth-seeded Russian, beat Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 and will now face Marton Fucsovics after the Hungarian defeated Diego Schwartzman, the ninth seed, 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4.
Francis Tiafoe, who beat third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas on day one, was beaten 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 by Karen Khachanov, the 25th seed. Khachanov will play Korda for a place in the quarter-finals.