MURRAY VERSUS MARATHON MAN
Tired Pospisil’s four five-setters will give Andy an extra edge
If Amelie Mauresmo, guiding Andy Murray in the latter stages at Wimbledon and heavily pregnant, is feeling any tension she is doing a good job of hiding it.
The former Wimbledon women’s champion was breezy and relaxed yesterday as she contemplated what ought to be a more comfortable afternoon for her player than Monday’s trial by thunderbolt.
Murray today tackles world No 56 Vasek Pospisil, Canadian son of Czech stock, for the likely privilege of facing Roger federer on friday.
Pospisil needed five sets to beat Vincent Millot in the first round and James Ward in the third. Then on Monday he was taken all the way by Viktor Troicki before later being knocked out of the men’s doubles by Andy’s brother Jamie in another epic.
It would be no surprise if, by the end of today, Wimbledon has its first semi-finals featuring the top four seeds in 20 years. That remained a possibility after Novak Djokovic yesterday completed a 6-7, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 win over Kevin Anderson to reach the last eight.
Pumping himself up, he took advantage of two double faults to get the break at 5-5. The collateral damage was to a ball-girl’s selfesteem as he harshly demanded his towel after a demanding rally.
Mauresmo cut a more serene figure, though she was not keen to discuss any possible shoulder aches that Murray is dealing with, or how she is handling the strain in her stressful position up in the box.
She did admit to hiding morning sickness during their post-season training in Miami and the Australian Open: ‘December and January was a bit tough for me, let’s put it this way,’ she said. ‘I don’t think he noticed anything. You feel more tired, definitely, it was a big challenge. Dani (Vallverdu) had left the team and it was just me.’
It was that time spent in florida, she feels, that has been the bedrock of what Murray has achieved this season, and what sees him arrive at this quarter-final in a much more settled place than last year.
That was when he went out to Grigor Dimitrov amid a stream of invective directed at himself and his box. Even under the massive pressure exerted by Ivo Karlovic on Monday he remained pretty calm.
‘ I think he did great,’ said Mauresmo. ‘The focus and concentration you need against this guy (Karlovic) are high and he did that very well. He’s in a good place.’
As Murray’s stock has risen so has hers, after their partnership seemed short of buyers following that thrashing by federer at the O2 Arena last November. Asking questions after that defeat was legitimate enough, although Mauresmo felt it went too far. ‘I definitely wasn’t happy with that (the federer match). But I also thought that there was not going to be a miracle between the level he had in the summer and getting back to the highest level without really working on things.
‘ It was quite shocking what people said at the start. Andy didn’t want to go into detail about what people said in the locker room. It needed him to reach the final in Australia for things to calm down. The critics said, “Ah, finally he is back in a Grand Slam final”.’ Mauresmo believed there was an element of sexism involved in the reactions of the locker-room snipers, though Boris Becker had to put up with more public scepticism after he was hired by Djokovic.
‘No man, former player, former champion, would have been criticised like that before starting,’ she said. ‘Judging a coach on results, on their game, that is logical. But to hear that it is ridiculous, that it would never work before starting.’
She admired Murray’s resolve in taking her on, adding: ‘Given the reaction that it provoked, it needed guts, courage and audacity to take this decision. And to stick to it.’
Interestingly Ivan Lendl said something very similar when he first hooked up with Murray, although it is clear that this relationship is run along very different lines: ‘We speak a lot but not just about the psychological side,’ she said. ‘We also talk about his game. for him, it is easier with a woman, at least right now. He maybe felt more judged before (with Lendl). Between guys, there is always a competitive side. I am not into that.’
They are now a happy triumvirate — her, Murray and cheerful Swede Jonas Bjorkman, who unlike her can go into the men’s locker room as he pleases.
Murray has met Pospisil three times since October and has not dropped a set. It is hard to see a repeat of the Dimitrov reverse. ‘I think he’s going to go out there and have nothing to lose and just go for his shots,’ said Mauresmo. ‘He’s a big guy, he can release big shots on the serve and forehand. This one needs to be taken very seriously.’
Today’s best matches could be on Court No 1, rather than those of Murray and Djokovic on Centre. As predicted, the extra week’s gap between the french Open and Wimbledon may deliver the best players into the last four.