Andy Murray delivered a statement of intent on and off the court as he began his Wimbledon build-up in emphatic style at Surbiton.
Nine miles from SW19 where next month he attempts to complete a career hat-trick of singles titles, Britain’s greatest blew away Hyeon Chung in straight sets, 6-3 6-2.
The 36-year old with the metal hip was then asked whether he still considers himself one of the world’s top 10 grass court players.
"It is hard to put numbers on it like that but yes, I would fancy myself against a lot of them,” he said.
“Last year I won against (Nick) Kyrgios who made the final of Wimbledon, I won against (Stefanos) Tsitsipas, who is one of the best players in the world.
"I was a set-all with (Matteo) Berrettini in the final of Stuttgart, who is quite clearly in the top few grass-court players, before I hurt my abs.
"But it is kind of irrelevant to say that. You have to perform and win the matches on the court and it is up to me to show that in the next four or five weeks."
It is a decade since Murray won his first Wimbledon title. Back then he was neither married nor a father and his hip joint did not need metal assistance to function.
“I know a lot of people say time flies by,” he said. "But it feels like a really long time ago."
Age has not wearied him, however, and after dismantling former Grand Slam semi-finalist Chung for the loss of only five games he spoke passionately about both the present and the future.
“I still want to win, I want to compete and see how far I can push my body,” said a player skipping the French Open to give himself every chance at Wimbledon.
“I don't have anything to prove to anyone, in my eyes anyway, but I still feel I'm capable of competing right at the top of the game, certainly on this surface.
“With the operations I've had I was told I might not be able to play again, some doctor certainly told me I wouldn't ever play again. So I just want to see how far I can go.
“I’m playing better this year than I was last year, I've got up to 41 in the world and I believe I can go higher than that. I'm motivated to try and get into the Olympics next year.”
In the Surrey sunshine Murray moved freely as he took the opening set 6-3 in 34 minutes, watched by Jonny O’Mara, the newest addition to his coaching entourage.
Chung proved less of an obstacle than an advertising board the Scot fell into at the start of the second set and just 69 minutes after launching his grasscourt season, Murray had victory in the bag.
