Andy Murray and the moment before the serve

SportLocation Tennis Desk · 28 Sept 2026

Andy Murray lifts the ball into the air, with racket low and the serve still to come.

Andy Murray’s service routine pauses at its most recognisable cue: the ball rises from his non-racket hand while the racket remains low. The motion is not yet a serve. It is the instant of preparation, before the ball and racket meet.

Across the practice-court footage, Murray moves with his racket in hand, then settles into position. In the clearest serving moment, the raised ball gives the sequence its focus: a small, deliberate setup before the next action. The court, green windscreen and mountain backdrop frame the routine, but the detail to watch is the separation between the lifted ball and the racket still waiting below.