Injury?What injury?

MUKRORNATYA AANRDE BOTH RIGHT AS REIGN

BRITISH No.1s Andy Murray and Jo Konta shrugged off their injury woes to storm through to the second round at Wimbledon.

The Scot (left) wcoounrthims afitrcsht gsirnacses-last year’s final by smashing Kazakh qualifier Alexander Bublik in straight sets on Centre Court.

And then Konta (above) gained

IT was tough to tell when what looked like a limp was more pronounced… after a familiar winner or an unfamiliar error.

At some changeovers, they could have closed the roof in the time it took Murray to inch his way to an energy drink.

During points, he flowed like water. Between points, he moved with all the fluency of an old boy going to the Legion for a game of dominoes.

Good, old Shakira once insisted hips don’t lie. They do in Murray’s case.

It never pays to read too much into a Murray grimace at any time. It certainly didn’t here. There was the occasional wince but he is a specialist in the occasional wince. There was the odd, semianguished rub of the hip but he’s not going to need a replacement any time soon.

And while some analysts believe the long-standing complaint might compromise his serving power, there was no sign of it cramping his style against a hipster from Kazakhstan.

Indeed, Murray had an interesting explanation for why he appeared to be hobbling.

“I don’t know if that’s something that’s come over the last couple of weeks when my hip’s been sore,” he said.

“I’ve always done it, and everyone is sort of saying I’m walking that way because of my hip. But I have no idea.

“Whether it’s something that’s just happened these last couple of weeks, like, subconsciously, when my hip’s been sore, I’ve no idea. I don’t think I have the smoothest walk at the best of times.

“No, my hip felt good. It’s a little bit sore, but I was moving really good on the court today.”

Actually, the minor hiphullabaloo might just be the sort of lightweight drama Murray can thrive on. Maybe he fancies some odds to fight against.

But in the actual combat on Centre Court, there was very little, if anything, to suggest the injury that had seemed to threaten his Wimbledon defence could now decisively undermine it.

Now and again, he might have hobbled out-of-play. In-play it was customary gazelle stuff and the sort of pipe-opening performance you would expect from a top seed.

It goes without saying that much sterner tests, of body and form, lie ahead.

Dustin Brown, the dreadlocked German and a pal of Murray’s who caused a stir a couple of years ago when he beat Rafa Nadal here, is up next and should be a taller hurdle.

Alexander Bublik looked like he enjoyed himself, even using the rain breaks to make some social small-talk with an amused, if slightly disconcerted, Murray. He never looked likely to trouble Murray, though, and his seven games over the straight-sets defeat were a fair reflection of Murray’s dominance.

It was a dominance that clearly pleased Murray. If any fears over his physical condition turn out to have been overblown, his lack of gametime had made Murray just a little apprehensive.

He said: “I was a bit nervous this morning. I hadn’t been able to do as much as I would have liked in the build-up, didn’t know the guy I was playing and with a first match at a Slam, there’s always a few extra nerves.

“Once I got out there and got the early break, I felt good. I moved well. So, yeah, for a first match, considering how I was feeling five, six days ago, it was really positive.”

After the uncertainty of the past few days, it certainly was positive. Murray might not have the smoothest of walks but this was the smoothest of starts.