Sir Alex Ferguson used to say "we never make it easy for ourselves" when he was Manchester United manager, and his presence had a similar effect on Andy Murray during his Wimbledon quarter-final.
After last week's wipeout Wednesday, Murray too came close to exiting the Championships. Fernando Verdasco stormed into a two-set lead thanks to his superb serving, but the Scot's exceptional endurance was pivotal as he clutched victory from the jaws of defeat.
Ferguson was at Flushing Meadows to witness Murray's epic five-set victory against Novak Djokovic last year and was also in attendance for his SW19 final defeat to Roger Federer last year.
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The former United boss has paid visits to Wimbledon to sporadically through the years, and was joined by United captain Nemanja Vidić in the Royal Box for Wednesday's play.
England manager Roy Hodgson also greeted the 71-year-old, while England rugby coach Stuart Lancaster was sat behind him.
Murray received support from another famous Scot in 2005, when Sir Sean Connery took his place in the Royal Box.