CROSSING THE LINE

Watch as devastated Andy Murray is told basic umpire error cost him dearly in Wimbledon defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas

ANDY MURRAY cut a dejected figure in his press conference after being told of a crucial incorrect call that cost him dearly during his clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The British hero fell in the second round at Wimbledon after five gruelling sets against fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

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Andy Murray was devastated after his Wimbledon second round defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas
The two-time Wimbledon champion was told of the botched call in his press conference

Murray, 36, had led the Greek by two sets to one on Thursday night, before play had to be curtailed due to a local curfew.

Play resumed on Centre Court yesterday, with Tsitsipas triumphing 7-6, 6-7, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 in four hours and 40 minutes.

With Tsitsipas serving at 4-4, 15-30 in the fourth set, Murray played a short backhand return, which was called out by the line judge.

Umpire Aurelie Tourte did NOT overrule the call despite it being close to the chair - with Murray opting against challenging.

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Winning the point would have set up two break opportunities for the two-time Wimbledon champion - either of which would have led to the opportunity to serve for the match.

In his post-match press conference, Murray was told that his return was in fact in.

Already devastated after his defeat, the Scot looked even more gutted after receiving the news.

With his head sinking into his hands, he responded: "Yeah, that's obviously frustrating."

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Umpire Aurelie Tourte failed to overrule an incorrect call
Murray lost a gruelling five-set contestCredit: Reuters
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Shrugging, he added: "I remember it, I think it was a backhand, cross-court return, very short, and I probably would have won the point."

Further quizzed why he didn't challenge the call, he said: "It was right underneath the umpire's nose.

"They shouldn't be missing that, to be honest. If they're unsure, they should let the player know.

"It was such a sharp, sharp angle. It was very short. I assumed the umpire would have made the right call.

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"The linesperson called it out, the umpire called it out. You can obviously argue it's a mistake on my part. Ultimately the umpire made a poor call (on something) that's right in front of her."

Right now I obviously would rather it was done automatically

Andy Murray on line calls

Wimbledon still relies on line judges for calls - despite the US Open and Australian Open having both ditched them for electronic line calling.

Asked if he would like to see them follow suit in SW19, Murray said: "Right now I obviously would rather it was done automatically. It's a hard one because I probably prefer having the line judges on the court.

"It feels nicer to me. I think the crowd quite like the challenges. I think for TV, they probably quite like it.

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"But when mistakes are getting made in important moments, obviously as a player you don't want that.

Tsitsipas will be back in singles action this afternoon, when he faces Serbian Laslo Djere on No.1 Court.

Murray, 36, was beaten by fifth seed Stefanos TsitsipasCredit: Rex
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