Murray’s one of Brits hit by desert storm
WHEN the world No1 comes to town, he usually has his eyes on the title. But when Andy Murray comes to Indian Wells, he knows to keep his eyes on the flight departures at the nearest airport.
Yet again, Murray marched into the Californian desert for the BNP Paribas Open with high hopes. And, yet again, he took a spanking before the tournament was fully up and running.
He lost to Vasek Pospisil, the world No129 from Canada, 6-4, 7-6 in the second round on Saturday night. Pospisil played well but Murray did not. His serve was fragile, his groundstrokes were missing the mark and even if his lob was landing on a sixpence, the rest of his game was spluttering.
“I started the match OK,” said Murray. “The first set was a tough one to lose because I was a break up twice. I didn’t serve particularly well, which didn’t help. Then, in the second set, he started to play more aggressively.”
Murray had won the Dubai tournament the week before, he felt he was playing well and he had been practising in the desert conditions for nearly a week. He thought he was ready to make a charge towards the business end of the tournament. Then he was walloped in his opening match.
Then again, in 12 years, Murray only has one final appearance and two semi-final finishes to show for his efforts here.
“It’s time to lower my expectations every time I come here,” he said. “Getting through a match would be a positive step and when I come back next year I won’t be coming in with any thoughts of winning the event.”
He is still in the doubles – although that is not much by way of compensation – and his doubles partner, Dan Evans, will have more time to devote to that campaign after he was beaten 6-3, 6-4 by Kei Nishikori yesterday.
To lose to the world No5 is no disgrace but Evans will be kicking himself over the self-inflicted damage of yesterday.
He broke in the first game of the match. But as the set wore on, his first serve accuracy was meagre 45 per cent and he won only 22 per cent of his second serve points. A player of Nishikori’s experience and talents was not going to let him get away with that. And 18 unforced errors did not help Evans’s cause.
Johanna Konta continued Britain’s downward spiral. Still making her way back from a foot injury, she could not stop Caroline Garcia, the world No25 from France, grinding her down 3-6, 6-3, 7-6. As Garcia gained momentum, Konta could not keep pace.