From no chance to every chance
Murray goes from also-ran to glory contender after turning his fortunes on their head in less than a week
ANDY MURRAY insisted he did not become “a bad tennis player overnight” – and is focused on winning the French Open this weekend.
The world No.1 admitted he arrived in Paris without the game to claim another Grand Slam.
But after three increasingly impressive wins, including a stunning 7-6 7-5 6-0 third-round triumph over Juan Martin del Potro on Saturday, the route to the semi-finals has opened up before he faces world No.53 Karen Khachanov today.
Beating the young Russian No.1 would set up a winnable quarter-final against Fernando Verdasco or Kei Nishikori.
Murray’s chances – and attitude – look very different from only seven days ago.
Last year’s losing finalist said: “I wasn’t playing well enough last week to win the tournament.
“When I was practising and stuff I wasn’t playing well enough. But things can change very quickly – you don’t become a bad tennis player overnight.
“It can only take one or two good practices. Even when you’re not playing well, if you’re training hard and trying to do things right things can turn around very quickly.
“I felt I could turn it around. It wasn’t going to be easy but I feel like I’ve done a good job of that. I’m playing way better than I was a week, 10 days ago.”
Murray, who had won only five of his previous 10 matches before Roland Garros, added: “I’m very pleased and happy for myself because a lot of people wouldn’t have thought I would maybe get to this stage.
“The further you go the better you start to feel, the more confidence you get and you are AT ROLAND GARROS in the second week of a Slam so anything is possible.
“Why not set the bar as high as possible? It’s better to say, ‘Okay, I want to try to win the tournament’ and fall short and lose in the final than say, ‘I’m delighted getting to the second week’ and then lose in the fourth round.
“I want to try to go as far as possible but there are no guarantees. If I play like I did in the last few sets against del Potro then there is no reason why I can’t win a few more matches. Hopefully I can extend my stay a little longer, I’m not ready to go home quite yet.”
Murray fought hard to win an absorbing 84-minute first set against del Potro before turning up the heat to win in straight sets.
The Scot added: “Physically I feel pretty good. I haven’t seen any of the stats but I do feel like I’ve been dictating a lot more points these last couple of matches, doing less running than I did in the first two matches here last year when I felt like I was defending the whole time. “The matches haven’t been that physically demanding and I feel pretty good.” The top seed had been scheduled to face No.13 Tomas Berdych today but he lost to Khachanov in the second round. And the Russian yesterday beat John Isner 7-6 (7/1) 6-3 6-7 (5/7) 7-6 (7/3) in their rain-delayed match. He’d never got past the second round in a Grand Slam before this. The 21-year-old said: “It’s the best result for now, for me, in a Grand Slam. So it’s of course one of my biggest victories.” Khachanov, who was born in Moscow to Armenian parents, won his first ATP title in Chengdu last year and reached the quarter-finals in Barcelona and Lyon in this claycourt season. Part of the next generation of stars along with Alex Zverev and Nick Kyrgios, his hero is hotheaded former star Marat Safin. Khachanov said: “He was just a charismatic player and it was his style.” Murray and Khachanov have never played but the Scot said: “I practised with him before he got on the tour and he was really good. Big, strong guy. Generates a lot of power. He also has a big serve.”
Murray’s Paris matches have not been without incident. After shouting at his box during his second-round win he kept putting his finger to his lips and shushing while beating del Potro.
But in between he was still talking to himself like the bloke you would not want to sit next to on the bus.
Murray added: “I was still muttering a lot, maybe not so much at the beginning but I was losing at the beginning. I don’t know how much of an impact it has on my tennis.
“Against del Potro I felt when I was getting frustrated I stopped myself fairly quickly and got back to playing the right way.
“I know my head right now is in the right place because I am working things out on the court and that’s what I care about.”
Meanwhile, Murray’s brother Jamie and Brazilian Bruno Soares beat Rohan Bopann and Pablo Cuevas 7-6 6-2 to reach the doubles quarter-finals for the first time. They’ll now face unseeded duo Santiago Gonzalez and Donald Young.
NEIL McLEMAN