Andy Murray first British man to do so since 1937. Their most recent match was played in the first round of the 2018 Eastbourne International, which Murray won in straight sets. Due to this match-up and since both players each have three Grand Slam titles, Wawrinka has been identified by some, including Djokovic, as a potential contender to turn the Big Four tennis quartet into a "Big Five", although Wawrinka himself has downplayed those suggestions, stating that he is still far behind them. Murray plays an all-court game with an emphasis on defensive baseline play, and professional tennis coach Paul Annacone stated
Andy Murray grass to 18 matches. With the win, he also became only the second man in the open era after Rafael Nadal to hold the Olympic singles gold medal and Wimbledon title simultaneously. At the US Open, Murray entered a Grand Slam tournament as defending champion for the first time, and started strongly with a straight sets win against Michaël Llodra. He backed this up with wins over Leonardo Mayer, Florian Mayer and Denis Istomin to reach the quarter-finals at a major for the 11th straight tournament. In the last 8, Murray faced Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, but lost in straight