Wimbledon 2022: Murray tries everything but can’t get past the goofy Gulliver

It had all the makings of another primetime thriller, or maybe a late-night horror classic.

After all, Andy Murray’s rival across the net was John Isner who’ll never be forgotten as the player to emerge slightly less zombie-like than the other guy after a 70-68 final-set in tennis’ longest-ever match.

But the thing about zombies is they keep coming back for more. So does this giant American, 6ft 10ins of him, who we should absolutely emphasise is not a member of the undead. Eight times before Isner had taken on Murray and eight times he’d lost. Until last night.

Murray tried everything he knew but couldn’t break the self-confessed goofy Gulliver from Greensboro, North Carolina. Not his serve - this was only the third time in 17 years of Slam tennis that the great Scot had drawn such a blank - nor when attempting to pass Isner’s enormous wingspan.

It was another raucous night on Centre Court, the crowd urging on their hero after the disappointment of Emma Raducanu’s exit, first under a chilly sky and then the roof which, surprisingly, Isner did not reach up an arm and pull shut himself.

Isner for his part smashed 36 aces past Murray but there was so much more to his game than power-play and his touch around the net for such a big man was featherlight.

After his 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (3-7), 6-4 triumph he was generous in his praise of Dunblane’s finest. “It’s no secret that I’m most definitely not a better tennis player than Andy Murray,” he said. “I may just have been a little bit better than him in this match.

“He’s one of our greatest players ever and a massive inspiration to each and every one of us in the locker-room. We’re so lucky to have him around.”

It’s not often Murray is dwarfed but standing alongside Isner at