Murray & Herbert Finish Strong In Wimbledon Win

Andy Murray made a triumphant return to Wimbledon with Pierre-Hugues Herbert, delighting the No. 1 Court crowd with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-0 victory over Marius Copil and Ugo Humbert. The victory was the Brit’s first-ever men’s doubles win at The All England Club.

“It was obviously brilliant to be back. Really nice atmosphere towards the end of the match,” said Murray. “Every time I’m on the court now, it’s great. I’m just playing tennis again. Pain-free, healthy. It’s nice. It’s what I have enjoyed doing since I was a kid.

“At times over the past few years, I was not getting any enjoyment out of it. The fun is back. Hopefully my hip will feel good for a while.”

Murray, who prevailed two weeks ago at the Fever-Tree Championships (w/Lopez), received a standing ovation as he walked on court. After shaking off a slow start in their first match together, Herbert/Murray asserted their dominance in return games by racking up 18 break points and converting on seven. Murray wrapped up the match with a forehand volley winner after two hours and 28 minutes.

Herbert has enjoyed success before at The Championships, teaming up with Nicolas Mahut to win the doubles title in 2016 (d. Benneteau/Roger-Vasselin). Next up for Herbert/Murray are sixth-seeded Croatians Nikola Mektic and Franko Skugor.

“I think once I get on the court, I’m still very competitive. I want to win. I prepare properly. I try and do my best,” said Murray. “It just feels different than what it did before. I don’t know if that will change over time or if it will stay the same. But I don’t have huge expectations. I just want to go out, enjoy the match, give the best effort of what I’ve got. If I do that, then that’s fine.” 

Seventh seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, making their 20th appearance as a team at The All England Club, moved past Denys Molchanov and Igor Zelenay 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-4. The Bryans have won here three times (2006, 2011, 2013) and Mike prevailed here last year with Jack Sock (d. Klaasen/Venus). Bryan/Bryan will play Marcelo Arevalo and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela in the second round.

Fifth seeds and 2015 champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau sprinted into the second round over Italian pair Marco Cecchinato and Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-3, 6-1. Awaiting them are Fabrice Martin and Hugo Nys.

Eighth seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers required just one hour and 39 minutes to move through the Spanish pairing of Marcel Granollers and Gerard Granollers 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Peers finished runner-up here (w/J. Murray) in 2015. Next up for Kontinen/Peers are Robert Lindstedt and Tim Puetz.

Other teams to advance on Thursday include No. 11 seeds Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France, who defeated British wild cards Liam Broady and Scott Clayton 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. Robin Haase and Frederik Nielsen, the No. 16 seeds, also moved on with a convincing 6-2 6-2, 6-3 victory over Romain Arneodo and Damir Dzumhur. Nielsen’s lone Grand Slam title came here in 2012 (w/Marray).