As the Wimbledon roof was pulled back to allow brilliant sunshine to flood the Centre Court early on Tuesday morning, the inquest had already started. All England Club officials were rocked after Andy Murray laid into conditions on Centre Court under the new £80 million roof after he had battled to an epic five-set victory over the stubborn Stanislas Wawrinka late into Monday night.

This was Wimbledon's crowning glory, certainly the moment the 15,000 spectators crammed into the Centre Court for Murray's fourth-round match had wanted. And there was no doubt that the 1,000 tonnes of steel and translucent fabric above their heads created a theatre, the like of which has never been seen in British tennis before. Suddenly, the cheers were amplified to the levels of a rock concert, pushing Murray to victory.

But a match thought to have been seen by more than 12 million people live on BBC television has thrown up as many questions as it answered about the future of the world's greatest tennis tournament - and it was Murray who posed the toughest questions.

He claimed the conditions inside Centre Court with the roof created artificial conditions that badly hampered his game. The tension of his racket strings appeared to be affected and he complained of a fetid atmosphere, hot and humid, even though the temperature inside the Centre Cauldron is regulated to 24 degrees Celsius. Murray also wanted more time to prepare, claiming he was given little advance warning that the roof would be on.

"It is very, very heavy and humid. I know it was hot outside but I was sweating a lot," he said. "Both of us were trying to get white towels from the locker room because our hands were drenched. When I finished, it was like I had been in a bath. It slowed down a lot and I struggled to serve because it wasn't coming off the strings that quickly. It was much heavier.

"There were a lot more rallies in that match. I got very few free points from my serve when it did go in. You can really swing at the ball very hard and it doesn't really go anywhere. It's very different."

Was it really that different? Stanislas Wawrinka, his opponent, did not seem to think so. He was given as much time as Murray to prepare and was unaffected by the court - although he loved the intimate atmosphere created by the roof.

"It was very nice to play with the roof closed. I enjoyed it a lot. The grass was much the same and it didn't affect the way I played," he said.

David Felgate, former coach to Tim Henman, watched the match closely and he wondered whether Murray ha d been caught out by the late call to play under the roof.

"It is the same for both players," Felgate said. "But it could easily have made a difference to the stringing of Murray's racket. Some players are very sensitive to that and he did seem less effective. If he had more notice, maybe he could have strung a couple of rackets to different tensions as back-up when he realised things weren't going too well."

The roof had been cranked into place yesterday afternoon as rain threatened to disrupt Wimbledon for the first time this year. As the first raindrops plopped into Centre Court at 4.34pm, the fourth-round women's singles between Amelie Mauresmo and Dinara Safina was brought to a halt. Seven minutes later, the button was pressed for the giant roof to be closed.

If it was a minor piece of sporting history, it was a defining moment for Wimbledon. From a half-empty court, Safina and Mauresmo found themselves playing the last part of their match to a packed house. They loved the atmosphere and the din from the crowd, amplified because the court was enclosed.

"It was a really nice atmosphere," Safina said. "Somehow you feel a little bit more the crowd. Even the crowd also wanted the roof so it was an unbelievable atmosphere on court. I didn't have any problems. I felt pretty comfortable."

Mauresmo, beaten in three sets, thought the court had changed but her assessment was a direct contradiction of Murray.

"It makes conditions a little bit different," she said. "I would say the ball is flying a little bit more. Visually, when the ball is in the air, when you have an overhead , it's very bright. It is really bright. We both took a little time to adjust, then it was okay.

"It's not a big deal, just a different feel. But it is good. It's a plus, definitely, for the tournament."

So an investment of £80 million in a roof that creates conditions that are either good or bad. Whatever the players think, the indisputable fact is that the crowd on Centre Court and millions around the world were presented with a unique spectacle that will be rememered for years to come.