Andy Murray rode the dramatic wave of emotion generated under Wimbledon’s new roof to make instant history.

His latest victory also kept alive his dreams of recording even more next Sunday.

In the latest Wimbledon finish in Wimbledon history, 10.38pm, and with the famous hill still packed but in total darkness, the Scot needed the assistance of a partisan crowd and some raucous support from his mum Judy to defeat Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 2-6 6-3 6-3 5-7 6-3.

It was the spectacular dogfight Wimbledon 2009 had been yearning for, three hours and 57 minutes of stomach-churning tension which was validation of the All England Club’s decision to spend £100m or so on their new roof.

At the end Murray fell to his knees and admitted: “It’s great to have come through. I believe I can win Wimbledon, that has not changed. I have to play great tennis to do it and I had to play great tennis to come back tonight.”

He then went on to criticise Wimbledon’s decision to play the match under the roof, which had been put to its first competitive use when showers halted the previous match between Dinara Safin and Amelie Mauresmo.

When Murray took to the court with Wawrinka the weather was dry and Murray said: “It’s tough when you’re warming up, getting ready for the match outside and it’s dry and then get told you’re playing under the roof.

“The decision should be made before that match (Safina’s) is finished so they can let the players know in a decent amount of time what conditions they are going to be playing under

“In very few sports would coaches and teams be particularly happy if they don’t know exactly what time they’re going to kick off or what the conditions are going to be like when they go out there.

“When you haven’t experienced something before it is tough to know how it’s going to play. There is quite a big difference.”

Murray blamed the humid conditions for the way he struggled on his serve, saying: “We were sweating so much. Both of us were trying to get white towels because your hands were drenched. When I finished it was like I had been in a bath. It slowed things down a lot and I struggled to serve because it wasn’t coming off the strings that quickly.

“I like playing indoors but when you have not practised or ever played a match under a roof on grass you don’t know what to expect. For two and an half sets I played great tennis, it just took me a while to get used to it.”

At times it looked as if the roof was about to fall in on Murray’s quest to become the first Briton to lift the men’s singles in 73 years as he ran into a man in Wawrinka playing the tennis of his life.

How did Murray survive?

Sheer guts and determination. Plus a burning desire not to let down a Centre Court crowd who willed him across the finish line in the way they used to carry Tim Henman in his hours of need in SW19.

Murray now faces wild card Juan Carlos Ferrero in the quarter finals and his fans can only hope he has not been too drained physically and mentally by such a momentous encounter.

It was all the more creditable because Murray could not have started more poorly, losing the opening game on serve and the opening set to a Wawrinka who belied his world ranking of 18.

Wawrinka’s backhand winners are as stunning as any shot in the game, including any of his compatriot Roger Federer, with whom he won the doubles gold medal in the Beijing Olympics.

And he pulverised Murray in that first set when the Scot appeared to have been unnerved by the indoor conditions as well as the brilliance of a man who has become one of his great pals as well as a regular practice partner.

There were several pivotal moments.

First, in the second set when Murray produced a brilliant running forehand to salvage a game he might well have lost, after which Murray pumped his fists, the crowd at last got to the heart of the action and mum Judy all but vaulted the barrier in front of Centre Court.

Second, in the sixth game of the third set when Murray saved three break points with crashing winners off both backhand and forehand to gain a crucial momentum swing.

The fourth set was a tense struggle, full of heavy hitting, but it was Wawrinka who dug in to gain the only break in the 11th game.

And so it went to a fifth in which Murray raced to a 3-0 lead, coming back from 40-love down to break the Wawrinka serve.

Cue sigh of relief. Too soon. Again Wawrinka squared things up and by then they were more like heavyweight boxers out on their feet than tennis players

Weary as he was, however, Murray conjured up one last effort to break the Wawrinka serve once more in the eighth game to clinch a famous victory.

Murray said: “At the end it was probably the noisiest crowd I’ve played in front of. It definitely sounds and feels much louder with the roof. The support is great.”

It was the understatement of the night.