Passing shots: Murray's ecstasy, agony on display at SW19

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Andy Murray's improved strength and serve have aided his run to the quarterfinals. Simon Bruty/SI Bryan Graham's Mailbag Bryan Graham will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his mailbag. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND Follow Bryan Graham on Twitter

Two years are tattooed on the English sports consciousness like scarlet letters of anguish and self-pity. One is 1966, the first and only time the Three Lions hoisted the World Cup. The other is 1937, the last time a British player won at Wimbledon.

The ghost of that man, eight-time Grand Slam winner Fred Perry (who would have turned 100 in May), has hung over the All England Club for years as contenders who might have ended the drought -- names like John Lloyd, Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman -- have come and gone like false prophets. Some were victims of circumstance whose peaks coincided with the reigns of tennis titans like Sampras, Borg, Federer and Laver. Others cracked under the pressure from the fanatically patriotic crowd and tabloid press. But one thing's clear: British underperformance, as much a Wimbledon tradition as strawberries and cream, has become a sort of self-propagating trend. In America, we'd call it a curse.

Andy Murray, who booked a place in the quarterfinals Monday with a stirring victory over Stanislas Wawrinka, is the latest in the long line of native would-be saviors. The third-seeded Murray, who two weeks ago became the first native son to win the traditional Wimby tune-up at Queen's Club in 71 years, needs just three more victories to give Great Britain its long-awaited champion at the hometown tournament.

Getting this far wasn't easy. Wawrinka provided a stiff challenge for Murray, who'd dropped just one set in his first three matches. The opponents went back and forth into the night, trading thunderous ground strokes and splitting the first four sets under the $165 million Centre Court roof. This was Murray's gauntlet, a test in which the 22-year-old needed to call upon his three biggest areas of improvement -- his serve, his fitness and his mental game -- in order to survive.

As the darkness set in during the fifth set, Murray squander a three-games-to-none lead after a series of curious errors. But with 15,000 of his countrymen watching anxiously, awaiting the latest British flameout at The Championships, Murray showed everybody just how far he's come.

Over the past year Murray has complemented his return game -- always outstanding -- with a booming, accurate serve. He's also improved his stamina under coach Miles Maclagan, as demonstrated Monday by his ability to move and gut out important points during the fourth and fifth sets. Murray's psychological fortitude was impressive. Rather than blocking out the mania, Murray let it in -- at least to a point. The 22-year-old played off the crowd support during some instances -- with fist-pumps and primal yawps -- but never let his emotions get the best of him.

He also displayed his mental improvement with creative shotmaking during the fifth-set pressure-cooker. Ahead 4-3, 15-0 on Wawrinka's serve -- at 10:28 p.m. local time -- a fatigued Murray darted toward his right to return a forehand. Rather than attempt the more sensible winner down the line, Murray lifted a crosscourt lob that floated above Wawrinka's head and landed inches in. The point set the stage for a decisive break point, which Murray converted before weaving to the finish line.

Murray is no longer the kid. His growth into the world's third-best tennis player over the past 12 months has been well-documented -- his slaying of Rafael Nadal in the U.S. Open semis was one high-profile breakthrough -- but evens one lousy match on Centre Court could reverse an entire year of progress in the eyes of Britain's infamously demanding sporting public.

With Federer in top form and hell-bent on reclaiming his Wimbledon crown, the prospect of Federer-Murray championship showdown is mouth-watering. Even those rooting for another player in this year's tournament know on some level Murray-Federer is the one match that needs to happen. Right players, right place, right time.

Prince of darkness

Like night games at Wrigley before the late-'80s and indoor baseball before the Astrodome, a retractable roof over Centre Court is a once-unpalatable concept which modern realities have made a necessity.

Even those purists who bristle at the notion of an innovation as gauche as a retractable roof over the terra sancta of Centre Court acknowledge the necessity of the device in today's TV-driven climate.

Poetic solace came last year when Nadal and Federer staged their five-set epic in last year's Centre Court 1.0 finale -- a match twice interrupted by weather. If there absolutely had to be a roof over Centre Court, at least the last match before the expensive renovation was The Greatest Match Ever.

It's just as fitting that Wimbledon's prime-time premiere showcased Murray, the local hero, gutting out a memorable five-set victory.