Wimbledon: Second Round match between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andy Murray called off due to 11 PM rule

Andy Murray (Source: Twitter)

The third day of Wimbledon 2023 was chaotic like the first two days. Due to the constant interruption of rain, the play was delayed several times. The delay meant the storming of Just Stop Oil protestors into court 18. During the contest between Grigor Dimitrov and Sho Shimabukuro, three protestors entered the court and caused a delay in the proceedings. The three protestors were arrested and taken away from the court.

The protest didn’t stop. A jigsaw puzzle depicting a Roger Federer tie and orange confetti was thrown into the court. Soon after it, the match between Briton Katie Boulter and Daria Saville was targeted by the protestors. Amidst all the chaos, it rained for a long time in Wimbledon 2023. As a result, a lot of matches, at least 10 of them, had to be suspended midway. Many matches are scheduled to take place on 7th July, including the clash between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andy Murray.

Andy Murray vs Stefanos Tsitsipas called off

The crowd favorite and the local boy Andy Murray is up against the fifth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas. While Murray was confident facing Tsitsipas and claimed himself to be as fit as ever, the match between the two had to be stopped after the third set due to the 11 pm curfew. The rules of Wimbledon state that the play cannot continue after 11 pm. Due to the constant interruption of rain and protestors, the match between Tsitsipas and Murray had to be called off.

By the time the play was stopped, Murray was in good touch with the crowd behind him. After losing the first set 6-7(7-3) in the tiebreaker, Murray roared back by winning the second set 7-6(7-2) in the tiebreaker. The two-time Wimbledon champion won the third set 6-4 before the play was called off. With good momentum behind the British player, there was visibly a disappointment from Murray as the play was called off. He nearly cried towards the end.