Murray ‘fit to play’
Lendl insists he’ll be fit for Wimbledon
IVAN LENDL last night moved to calm fears that Andy Murray’s Wimbledon title defence is in jeopardy, insisting that he is happy with his player’s preparation.
The Czech coach’s upbeat assessment of the world No 1 was at odds with Murray’s announcement earlier in the day that he was withdrawing from an exhibition match at the Hurlingham Club today due to concerns about his hip.
Asked whether he was worried about the 30-year-old Scot, Lendl replied: ‘Not at all. Unlike before Paris, he is hitting the ball really well. Practice has gone well.’
Lendl would not be drawn on the extent of Murray’s hip problems, but said that he was likely to resume practice at Wimbledon this morning, having sat out the last two days.
‘We’ll see what the weather is like. If the weather is good I am sure we will practise,’ he said, pronouncing himself satisfied with the work they have done on the grass.
‘We had great weather, it’s more complicated when you have bad weather. I thought last year was more difficult because in two weeks we didn’t finish one practice on our own terms, we were always chased off by the rain. Even though he
didn’t play great (at Queen’s last week, where he lost in the first round) we had great practices.’
The condition of Murray’s left hip remains something of a mystery ahead of this morning’s draw. But Lendl, speaking at an event to promote Superga footwear, feels he is better prepared than heading into the French Open, where Murray was knocked out by Stan Wawrinka in the semi-finals.
‘I just felt that he hadn’t hit enough balls as opposed to here, where he has hit enough balls,’ said Lendl. ‘My feeling was that he was not picking the right shot because he hadn’t played enough and that he didn’t have the safety of saying, “OK, I can hit this shot 15 times in a row if I have to” and that all comes from competition. I thought he was a couple of points away from the Paris final actually.’
Nor was Lendl perturbed about Murray’s exit to world No 90 Jordan Thompson at Queen’s.
‘I wasn’t really surprised,’ he said. ‘The first match on grass is always tricky. The guys who beat Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic and Andy had played qualifying or the previous week at a tournament. We have seen that movie over and over. Guys play matches, feel a little bit more comfortable than the guys who didn’t play. That’s why Novak is in Eastbourne. He is not there because he likes Eastbourne — nothing against Eastbourne. It’s because he is looking for matches on grass. It’s a specific surface.’
Roger Federer fully expects Murray to take up his position opening the Centre Court on Monday as defending champion.
‘The way I know Andy, he’s tough as nails and I feel like he’s going to be there on opening Monday,’ said Federer at yesterday’s launch of the Laver Cup team competition.
‘There are injuries and injuries, and for me if he can get through that first round and feel better afterwards, absolutely he should play.’
Federer is coming in as favourite and while he is not entirely comfortable with that mantle he did not play down his excellent preparation, having won the Halle Open on grass in Germany on Sunday.
‘ Having had two tournaments before Wimbledon I expected myself to maybe play right in at least one of them and I did that last week, so I’m very pleased and now I couldn’t be happier that Wimbledon is here again.
‘That was the goal when I wasn’t feeling good after leaving Wimbledon last year. I wanted to feel 100 per cent when Wimbledon came around again and I feel I am, which is wonderful.
‘That was the idea – not making any compromises about the grasscourt season. My practice went great, the weather was beautiful in Switzerland and in Halle too, so I got an incredible amount of practice on grass done.’
Djokovic also expects Murray to be at Wimbledon even if the defending champion has to play in pain. The Serb, who is seeded second for SW19 behind Murray, yesterday booked his place in the semi- finals of the Eastbourne International by beating American Donald Young 6-2, 7-6.
Djokovic, who faces Russia’s Daniil Medvedev today, said: ‘I’m sure Andy will be ready for Wimbledon. I’m sure he is doing everything in his power to get himself ready and prepared for his first match.
‘We have learned how to play through pain. Professional athletes are very familiar with pain on a daily basis, whether it’s just a small stiffness, a tightness, a soreness, whatever you want to call it, or sometimes something even bigger.
‘There are times when you have to take anti-inflammatories. There are times when you try to do it without the tablets. I’m sure all the athletes can relate to that. They understand that.
‘ Me, personally, I’m against tablets and anti-inflammatories, but at times I have to take them because I’ve got to play a match the next day in a Grand Slam.
‘If I have an issue or for some reason I can’t serve or whatever it is, I put myself in a position where I have to ask a question whether I want to play 50 per cent or I want to play 100 per cent if I have an opportunity to do that.
‘It’s a conscious choice, although I know the effects. It has some side effects and consequences on your body later on, but that’s another story.
‘There is always something that is going on. We are not robots. We are humans. We have to deal with those things.’ Murray has suffered several problems since becoming world No 1 in November, including an attack of shingles.
‘He’s a champion,’ Djokovic (left) continued. ‘He’s someone who has proven so many times to people that he’s one of the best players in the world. He’s the defending champion of Wimbledon.
‘You’ve got to take this into consideration.’