Tin Man's all heart

But cruel timing means no happy ending for Andy

TIME ran out on Andy Murray for the second night in a row.

But on the Tin Anniversary of his first Wimbledon win a decade ago, this second-round exit had more than a hollow feel to it and a few what ifs?

What if a match which had been disrupted by an 11pm curfew the previous night had been played to its conclusion when the Scot led 2-1 and had the wind in his sails? This wasn't how it was all supposed to end for the Marathon Man, Tin Man, Superman, take your pick.

What if a host of unfortunately timed unforced errors had been eradicated at the key moments?

It had all been falling into place. No issues with his metal hip, body and mind in tune, and being driven with the momentum of a man who knew he still had some unfinished business at SW19.

Whether this was the end remains to be seen.

But the undeniable fact is Murray is back to matching the very best at this level, even if one dreadful game in the final set proved to be his downfall.

The Scot remains a hero of our times. Cast your mind back to Sunday night, July 7, 2013 and a JFK moment of British sport, which saw the then 26-year-old beat Novak Djokovic to claim his first Wimbledon title.

Ten years to the day and Murray was still creating special memories.

It's almost as though he needs to create crisis situations in order to properly click into gear.