The paths of Murray and Djokovic had intertwined since they were both aged 11.
Born a week apart in May 1987, their talents took them to the international junior tournaments where they first encountered each other, spawning a lasting friendship and enduring respect.
By 2013, the pair had blossomed into greats of the game, creating a compelling rivalry and competing for the sport's most prestigious prizes.
There had already been big occasions. Three of their 18 previous meetings had been Grand Slam finals, including Murray's breakthrough win in New York.
This felt different.
His mum's heart was beating uncontrollably.
"All I could hear was duh-DUH, duh-DUH, duh-DUH. It was thumping," Judy Murray re.
The roar which greeted Murray as he removed an ice pack, climbed off the chair and walked to the baseline was deafening.
Even Lendl was feeling the tension.
"It's the only time ever I've felt Ivan nervous," Vallverdu says. "He says he wasn't. But I know him well enough to know he definitely was."
The crowd chanted Murray's name, simmering down into silence before another benevolent cry of 'Come on Andy!' forced him to pause.
An edgy 77mph second serve could not be exploited by Djokovic, who pushed the next backhand long.
15-0.
"That's one," a finger-wagging Prime Minister Cameron shouted.
Another first serve went into the net. Djokovic could not get on top of the second serve, allowing Murray into a baseline rally before trying a drop-shot which the Briton showed fleet of foot and fleet of mind to swat away.
30-0.
"Two down, two to go," Tim Henman, Britain's previous nearly man who was commentating for BBC television, stated solemnly.
Now Murray did land a first serve, down the middle and with so much power that a stretching Djokovic could only loop long.
40-0.
Three Championship points.
Going to grab a towel, Murray's arm was shaking.
Djokovic saved the first by smothering Murray at the net, then clobbered a brilliant backhand return winner to fight off the second.
With the clock ticking past the three-hour mark, he was far from finished.
40-30.
Still Murray's arm shook.
Digging deep into muscle memory, he landed a first serve down the middle which beat Djokovic but, just to add a trifle more drama, not Hawk-Eye.
Djokovic swarmed on the second serve, the rally turned into a backhand slice-off, Murray blinking first.
40-40. Deuce. Three Championship points gone.
"I didn't know how much longer I had in me," Murray says. "Physically I was really struggling, it was so hot, I was sweating, I could barely breathe."
In most cases, Murray leading by two sets and 5-4 40-0 would have made the result a formality.
But the tension was now even more unbearable than it had been all afternoon.
The mood was not aided by a tired-looking forehand into the net from Murray.
Advantage Djokovic.
Murray saved the break-back point with a hefty first serve down the middle.
Deuce again.
"When I'm racing you know it's a set distance of laps and know where the finishing line is," Sir Chris Hoy says.
"Whether it goes for you, or against you, you know that's the end of the race. Tennis is so different.
"The way it was going on and on, you wondered if Andy would seal the deal in three or not.
"The longer it went on, the more tense it got."
Djokovic earned another chance with a net cord which agonisingly dropped on to Murray's side of the court.
A grimacing Murray curled his lip skywards and rolled his eyes in the same direction. The Serb nodded his head and flashed a knowing smile.
Advantage Djokovic.
"Djokovic looks like a Bond villain. If he had a cat he'd be stroking it. I don't like the look of that," BBC Radio 5 Live commentator Jonathan Overend mused.
Soaking up more pressure at the baseline on a second serve, Murray remained patient in a long rally and stepped in to whip away a forehand winner.
Deuce.
"This is the boy digging deep. Sporting immortality doesn't come easily," Andrew Castle, also in the BBC television booth, said.
The saga continued when Djokovic reached a drop-shot to clip away a deft cross-court volley.
Advantage Djokovic.
Yet again, Murray responded. A deep forehand drive pushed Djokovic behind the baseline and Murray swarmed the net to bat away a winning volley.
Deuce.
"It felt like the game was going on forever," says Leon Smith, who did his best to remain poker-faced as he watched alongside Murray's mother.
"Throughout the match I tried to remain calm for Judy because she didn't need someone chatting or distracting her.
"At this point, everyone was so anxious. I'm just thinking 'Come on Andy, get over the line, get over the line, get over the line'."
In the midst of excruciating tension and nerves, Murray and Djokovic produced another classic point.
Scarcely-believable retrieving kept Murray in a point which he looked beaten, picking up a smash as he kept making Djokovic play another shot, the Serb eventually buckling with a stretching backhand into the net.
Fans star-jumped into the air, fists punctured the stuffy air and vocal cords stretched to breaking point.
A fourth Championship point.
Still Murray's arm shook.
Henman pointed out Murray clinched the Olympic title with an ace. Co-commentator Boris Becker paused. "Any point will do," was the German's dry response.
Murray landed another first serve, but this time Djokovic got the ball back with a stretching backhand.
Many in the crowd cheered thinking it had gone long. It hadn't. But they only had a few more seconds to wait.
Djokovic hit a weary backhand into the net and, after 12 tortuous minutes, Murray had held serve.
"Game, set and match, Murray. 6-4 7-5 6-4," announced chair umpire Lahyani.
Britain had a men's singles champion for the first time in 77 years.
Murray dropped his racquet as he turned to the crowd behind him, lifting both arms in the air before ripping off his white cap, shaking his fists towards the delirium.
“The overwhelming feeling I had was relief, it wasn’t happiness or excitement,” Murray, speaking at Centre Court this week, re.
“For a huge part of my career, winning Wimbledon was something I would always be asked about, there were a lot of questions about Fred Perry and the 77 years.
“So this was the most important match of my career.
“I felt if I didn’t win Wimbledon my career would have been viewed as that I had failed and everything else I won would not have mattered.
“I don’t think that is right but that’s what winning Wimbledon meant to a British player."
As a nation rejoiced, Prime Minister Cameron succinctly summed up the mood after the match.
“It was an amazing performance from Andy Murray but also an amazing day for British tennis and for Britain. It was magnificent."
