For the last decade there has been a new tradition at Wimbledon - the most traditional of tennis tournaments.
For the last decade there's been a new tradition at this most traditional of tennis tournaments.
Andy Murray normally arrives at the All England Club with high hopes and weighty expectation from a nation holding its collective breath.
And since 2008, he has never failed to progress to the last eight — has won twice, been a beaten finalist once and four times exited at the semi-final stage, a remarkable level of consistency that only the legends can better.
Murray - whose three competitive matches since last year’s Wimbledon have come in the last fortnight - cuts a very different figure this time around.
But the 31-year old’s comeback from hip surgery was never going to be a speedy process, with the former world number one now ranked 156th.
“I always want to be here competing but it feels a little bit odd coming into the tournament this year,” admitted Murray.
“Normally, at this stage, I feel really nervous, with lots of pressure. I expect a lot of myself around this time of year and I've always loved that.
“It has been difficult at times, but I’ve always enjoyed it, whereas this year it just feels very, very different.
“I’m still pumped to be here because four or five weeks ago I didn't know whether I'd be capable of competing at a level that I'd be happy with.
“I think the last couple of weeks have been beneficial. I think I've done well, considering the level of the guys that I've played against.”
The double Olympic champion was edged out by Nick Kyrgios in his comeback match at Queen’s before beating Stan Wawrinka at Eastbourne last week, only to lose to new British number one Kyle Edmund in the next round. So much for easing yourself back into action.
He wasn’t holding back in a practice session at the All England Club on Saturday but admits his comeback remains work in progress - the mind is certainly willing but the body still needs to be nursed.
“I’d like to be playing better. I've not been practicing that long but I'm competing with the best players in the world,” he added.
“You notice things that are maybe not quite where you would like them to be or where you remember them being a year ago.
“With where I'm at in my recovery, I'm very aware of how I'm feeling each day and very aware of how my hip is.
“I’m still practicing at a high intensity every day. That's really positive for me as part of getting better, to compete again.
“There's certain things that are still tricky and things I'm still trying to work through. These things are significantly better than what they were a few months ago but it just takes time.
“Sometimes in practice you feel really good and then you get on the match court and you notice other things that you're maybe struggling with, you learn a lot from just competing.
“I’ll be playing unless in the next couple of days I wake up and don’t feel good. I need to be mindful of how I'm feeling on a day-to-day basis.”
Murray will face Benoit Paire in his first round match on Tuesday, a player he beat in straight sets at Wimbledon last year. But he won’t hesitate to step aside if he feels playing will set him back.
“I’m pretty sure he said that he didn't enjoy playing on grass,” added Murray.
“Last year he obviously had a decent run here and he had a couple of match points against Roger in Halle a couple of weeks ago. With his game, the ability that he has and his athleticism, I don't see a reason why he shouldn't play pretty well on the surface.
“He’s a tricky guy because of his style. He does hit a lot of dropshots, he serve-volleys and he's unorthodox with his shot selection.”
Sportsbeat 2018