Andy Murray was watched by former rival Roger Federer during his first-round match on Centre Court at Wimbledon.

Following his straight-sets victory against fellow Brit Ryan Peniston in the opening round of this year's SW19, it is clear that Murray is back in good form.

Murray easily took the win 6-3, 6-0, 6-1, and in the press conference after the match, he was confident about his chances for the rest of the grasscourt major.

However, the match was made even better by the presence of eight-time Wimbledon champion and tennis legend Roger Federer.

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Federer as a spectator

The former world No. 1, who announced his retirement last year, was in attendance as a spectator on Centre Court yesterday as a distinguished guest in the Royal Box.

Federer's star status in the sport was made obvious, as his mere appearance received him a standing ovation, a telling sign of the sheer enormity of his legacy.

The 41-year-old then stayed to watch his former rival Murray. During their careers, the two men played each other 25 times on the ATP Tour, with Federer taking over half of the victories in these encounters, winning a total of 14 times against the Scotsman.

Indeed, seeing the Swiss former player at Wimbledon may bring back some bad memories for Murray, as both of the times that he faced him at the SW19, it was Federer who came out victorious.

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Murray grateful for support

Nevertheless, Murray spoke of his gratitude for the support from the 20-time singles Grand Slam champion in his opening round against Peniston. In the press conference after the match, Murray joked about the last time Federer had watched him play on Centre Court, back in the 2012 Olympic Games when he supported Murray's opponent Stan Wawrinka,

"Last time I was on this court and he was watching was during the Olympics. He sat in Stan Wawrinka's box supporting against me so it's nice to see a couple of claps today after some good shots. No, it's amazing, hope you're doing well."

Murray was then asked if he had a chance to speak to Federer after the match, to which he responded,

"I saw him briefly when I came off the court. Yeah, I mean, obviously like during the Laver Cup last year, he was obviously sitting on the side watching the match there."

He also added that he still thinks Federer "will be around the sport a lot" now that he is no longer playing,

"I know he loves tennis. And, yeah, great to have him back here."

BBC Sport

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