Andy Murray appeared down and out on Thursday (NZ time) but he was back doing what he likes best at Wimbledon, picking himself up and dusting himself down, as he roared to a 6-3 4-6 4-6 6-4 6-2 second-round win over little-known German qualifier Oscar Otte.
Before Wednesday, Murray had never lost a Grand Slam match to a player ranked as low as number 151 Otte and he had never been beaten before the third round at the All England Club.
When the match had to be briefly halted at 2-2 in the fourth set as gathering gloom meant the roof had to be closed so that the contest could continue under floodlights, it seemed as if Murray was on the verge of losing both of those personal milestones on day three of the championships.
But that stoppage allowed 118th-ranked Murray, playing on a wildcard this year as he works his way back to full fitness following hip-resurfacing surgery, to gather his thoughts and change his tactics as he won 10 of the next 14 games to book a third-round meeting with Canadian 10th seed Denis Shapovalov.
Meanwhile, top seed Novak Djokovic has begun Wimbledon like a man on a mission, which considering the history the Serb is trying to create, should come as no surprise.
On Thursday, the Serbian breezed past Kevin Anderson in straight sets to advance to the third round.
The 34-year-old described his 6-3 6-3 6-3 second-round win over twice Grand Slam runner-up Anderson as "almost flawless" and no one on Centre Court would disagree.
His only slight issue was keeping his feet on the still-greasy turf, but his game was at its immaculate best, as he appeared to be able to land each shot on a sixpence.
Djokovic made only five unforced errors in a masterful display against the South African he also beat in the 2018 final.
And while he did lose the first set of his opening round match against inspired British teenager Jack Draper, what has followed has been an ominous statement of intent.
Djokovic is not only chasing a sixth Wimbledon title and third in a row, he can also match Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal's men's record haul of 20 Grand Slam titles.
If that is not enough, he is also halfway to the calendar-year sweep of all four majors last achieved by Rod Laver in 1969 and could also be on for the Golden Slam if you add the Tokyo Olympics into the mix.
Quite simply, by the end of the year Djokovic could well have settled the GOAT (greatest of all-time) debate.
Reuters/Newshub.
