Andy Murray knocked out of Wimbledon by Denis Shapovalov

The two-time champion suffered a conclusive 6-4 6-2 6-2 defeat against the tenth seed

Few things can warp our minds and beguile our senses quite like nostalgia. At Wimbledon this week, Andy Murray had been its rawest essence, cycling through all the rips and tides that have been the lifeblood of his career, emptying wells of courage, berating himself in constant monologues and beating fists at a betrothed crowd. It had been both exhilarating and exhausting theatre, assaulting our emotions and stoking a fire with every act of defiance.

What those fragments of the past disguised, though, were the gaping vulnerabilities. The startling manner in which his confidence deserted him against Nokoloz Basilashvili and the depths he had to plunge in a titanic five-set battle with world No 151 Oscar Otte bore as many warnings as they were remarkable. And when faced by Denis Shapovalov in the third round, the immensely powerful, elastically agile and altogether more fearsome tenth seed from Canada, the truth unravelled in cold and conclusive fashion.

By way of statistics, this was the harshest Wimbledon defeat of Murray’s career, but it was no rollover as the 34-year-old drew on every last drop of strength to fan his hopes of one more comeback. After all, regardless of the pain revealed in his grimaces, straining at every tendon in his reinforced hip, Murray has always guaranteed an utter refusal to give up. That fact remained even as he was bludgeoned into submission in a little over two hours, but bravery will provide no consolation. For all the mountains Murray has climbed just to return to this stage, a 6-4 6-2 6-2 scoreline illustrated the scale that still separates him from his former glory. And with that reality laid out so starkly in front of him, Murray was left questioning whether he had reached the end of his resolve.

“There is a part of me that feels a bit like I have put in so much work the last three months and ultimately didn’t play how I would want and expect, and it’s like, is it worth it?” Murray said. “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’.”

The brutish nature of this defeat does not tell the full story, with Murray mounting valiant fightbacks in the first and second sets. But the haunts of his fate were clear from the offset, with Shapovalov’s blistering power leaving nothing in mercy. The youngest player to crack the world’s top 30 since 2005, in the face of a roaring Centre Court crowd, the 22-year-old was a fearless iconoclast. His vicious forehand veered deep into the corners like a metronome, leaving Murray scampering across the baseline and, in that moment, the court must have never felt so wide, his serve broken twice in what felt like the blink of an eye.

But at 5-1, as the size of his task became ever more daunting, Murray offered a first concrete spark of resistance that rapidly turned into a firework, igniting the crowd on Centre Court. And, if only briefly, he found a way to absorb Shapovalov’s punishing shots, taming youthful aggression with wisened precision to win 11 straight points. But Shapovalov, who defeated Rafael Nadal at just 18 years old, has not earned a reputation as one of tennis’s brightest stars without facing intense scrutiny. Attempting to serve out the first set, he evidenced his mettle by saving three break points, produced the deftest drop-volley at the net and sealed the hold with an emphatic smash. With the virtue of hindsight, by overcoming that tide of momentum, which was closer to a final stand, the match had already been won.

The crowd still attempted to breathe life into Murray’s challenge, reviving his most unthinkable upsets, the times when his undying determination alone seemed to grind down the will of his opponents. But Shapovalov never hesitated and paid no heed to romantic history. Ruthlessly assertive, a cannon of 18 winners in the first set did not once relent and he broke Murray instantly in the second, the crowd’s hope quickly draining as the Canadian rampaged towards victory.

If Shapovalov did suffer from any nerves, they only emerged in the form of two double faults that offered Murray a rare chance to break. He summoned every shot in his arsenal, from high-risk returns to astonishing lobs, but still Shapovalov was able to raise his game under pressure and uncork ferocious winners. This time, there was to be no fairy tale. Fighting fatigue and so many physical disadvantages, Murray had hit his ceiling and the bar refused to go any higher.

A break to allow the roof to close offered a last dying hope. In his first two matches, the delay had renewed Murray’s energy and composure and prompted dramatic resurgences. But any remaining optimism was stamped to remnants within a matter of minutes as Shapovalov broke serve again. Two valiant holds prevented the grim threat of a final-set whitewash, but as a 12th ace fizzed past his shoulder, even Murray had resigned himself to defeat.

In truth, the result should come as no shock. The reason Murray’s comeback provokes such deep emotion is that it has defied every limit set by our own bodies. He has proved himself hundreds of times over and yet still displays the same gladiatorial spirit, no matter how many questions of retirement are fired in his direction. In the space of just three matches, he hurtled us through the type of kaleidoscope only he can deliver and resuscitated our hopes again in spite of all logic. The illusion might have been shattered bluntly, but even as he slowly succumbs to the sunset, Murray leaves behind so many more memories to savour.