Andy Murray has achieved everything that tennis players dream of – Grand Slam titles, Olympic gold medals, the distinction of being world No 1 in the toughest of eras, absolute respect from fans and peers, even knighthood.

But somewhere on the journey to becoming one of the world’s best male players, Murray lost the most crucial thing to be at the very top – a physically fit body. His hip degenerated and after a risky replacement surgery to avoid early retirement, he began plodding around with a metal hip for the sport he loves. En route, he suffered multiple physical setbacks but he kept at it.

Digging into his reserve of willpower, the two-time Wimbledon champion somehow fought his way back. His singles return to the Centre Court on the opening day of the 2021 Championship after four years – this time as a wildcard ranked below 100 – was meant to be a celebration given everything he overcame to get here. But the first-round match turned out to be symbolic for so many other reasons too.

As a world No 118, he got his first Wimbledon singles match win since 2017 with a roller-coaster 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 triumph over 24th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili. It felt like a classic Murray match. He put the opponent’s serve under pressure consistently, produced a mixed bag of winners, aces and drop shots at will, let the momentum slip dangerously and then came up with a stunning comeback, ending with a wonderfully articulate talk.

As he arrived to a rousing reception on a packed Centre Court, with his mother Judy and wife Kim in attendance, it felt like the last four years didn’t really happen. But here he was, at 34, having won just Tour matches the whole year while his opponent had lifted two titles. However, when the match began, it felt like he was back to being the top seed and Britain’s hope. A rollercoaster right from the start.

It was toe-to-toe in the first set with no break points till Murray finally broke through the power of the Georgian with a clever mix of groundstrokes to take the set with a break. With every point being cheered like it was the final one by the home crowd, the tone for the match was set.

The second followed a similar pattern, with a single break sealing the deal. The former champion was keeping his game at a level: he fired 17 aces to no double fault, he didn’t rush to the net but kept bringing his opponent forward, clean striking on the flat backhand helped as did the versatile play.

The third set got… interesting. Murray raced to a 5-0 lead, holding and breaking serve with a ruthlessly effortless game, fist-pumping and roaring. He was serving for his first singles win since 2017, a bagel the crowd demanded, when suddenly the former champion Murray disappeared and an error-strewn game saw him get broken. This happened for two straight games but his triple-break gave him another chance to serve it out a third time. This time, Basilashvili who had quietly found his range, saved two match points and brought the set level at 5-5.

Something changed for the Brit, the old glimpses of him chiding himself resurfaced as did the doubts. The first serve, so strong so far, crumbled and the errors mounted. Perhaps, having been so close to the finish line, Murray dropped his level a notch because this is just the first round at a Slam.

Perhaps it was an unconscious drop given this is just his fourth Tour-level competition this year. But Basilashvili pounced on that, just like he had when he spoiled Roger Federer’s comeback party in Doha earlier this year. From 0-5 down, the 24th seed won the third set 7-5. He had found no break points in the first set, failed to convert two in the second but managed to break Murray four straight times in the third set.

And then, quite literally, Murray’s beloved Wimbledon Centre Court came to the rescue. The roof closed as the day neared its end and the break between sets allowed the Brit to reset.

He broke in the first game of the fourth with an aggressive game, got broken straight back but rallied to induce errors and then found his serve and groundstrokes. Supposedly loath to serve it out again, he dug in on Basilashvili’s serve in the final game and after five deuces, converted his fourth match point to seal a memorable win.

With Wimbledon also having on-court interviews this year, the crowd and Murray got to interact in a unique way and the former world No 1 delivered an important message again, in word and deed.

Andy Murray, with his metal hip and steel spine and heart of gold, loves tennis and will keep playing the game. And because he is the man who made the Big Three into the Big Four, we can be assured that the vintage spectacle, even when it is a rollercoaster, will bring back some fond memories.