Andy Murray and Dan Evans happy to continue riding emotional rollercoaster at Paris 2024 Olympics

So much of the last four years, of a lifetime in some cases, comes down to that moment of truth. Glory on the one hand, devastation on the other.

Nowhere are the margins so acute, though, than at Roland Garros where Andy Murray is trying to win matches to keep his career alive.

On Sunday, he and Dan Evans saved five match points to extend Murray’s retirement party into a second round of the Olympic men’s doubles tournament.

Then on Tuesday night they saved two more, fighting back from 9-7 down in the match tie breaker against Belgian pair Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen on Court Suzanne-Lenglen to win four straight points and take the match 11-9, sparking scenes of jubilation and relief.

That is because so much rests on each of these points at the end of a Murray match. Win the point he lives to fight another day. Lose it and that could be it, not just out of the Olympics but out of professional tennis altogether.

The Murray rollercoaster continues on Thursday when the British pair contest the quarter-final against Team USA’s Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul or Dutch duo Robin Haase and Jean-Julien Roje.

“The margins are so fine, we need to perform at a really high level to go through,” said Murray ahead of his next high-wire act.

“And you build confidence by winning matches like that and I think your opponents see that, that you’re coming back when you’re behind and that builds belief. But you can’t have that mentality of ‘Oh this is just going to happen now.’ We need to be switched on for the next one and let’s see what happens.”

Murray shed tears after Tuesday’s win, such was the emotional precipice he is operating on.

“Obviously it’s unbelievably emotional,” said Murray. “You’re unbelievably happy and then, I don’t know why it happens, it’s like happy tears. I was really emotional at the end of the match.

“Obviously extremely happy, excited that we managed to get through and another amazing finish so it takes a lot out of you.”