Nadal, Murray still rolling at Wimbledon
LONDON — To appreciate fully just how outstanding Rafael Nadal is at the moment — 28 consecutive completed sets won in Grand Slam play — consider what Andy Murray went through at Wimbledon on Friday.
Murray’s title defence appeared to be on shaky ground in the third round, particularly through a stressful stretch on Centre Court against Fabio Fognini, the 28th-seeded Italian who won their most recent encounter and had five set points to force this one to a fifth.
No telling whether the No. 1-ranked Murray, or his vocal backers, could have handled that test. Didn’t need to find out, because Murray was steady enough to grab the last five games and beat Fognini 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 as the sunlight faded.
“The end of the match was tense,” Murray said, in his typically understated way. “It was a very up-and-down match. I didn’t feel like it was the best tennis at times.”
The set he did drop was the first ceded so far this week by the Big 4: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Nadal and Murray. That all-conquering quartet combined to win the past 14 Wimbledon championships — half by Federer, three by Djokovic, two apiece by Murray and Nadal. Ah, yes, Nadal. He is coming off a record 10th French Open title, claiming all 19 full sets he contested in Paris with as overpowering a performance as can be (one opponent quit because of injury in the middle of the second set). Tack on the nine collected at the All England Club, including a 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory over 30thseeded Karen Khachanov on Friday, and Nadal’s set streak in majors equals the third-longest of the Open era.
“I mean, if you don’t hit hard and fast, he’s going to destroy you,” the 21-year-old Khachanov said.