No bawls please
Andy: It’s gonna be weird playing in empty stadium
ANDY MURRAY is gearing up for a “weird” return to an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open today.
The Scot won the first of three Grand Slam titles amid the frenzied noise of the world’s biggest tennis arena in 2012.
But the 23,771-seat stadium will be deserted – apart from a handful of coaches and officials – when he faces world No.49 Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan.
British No.3 Cameron Norrie has already shown the lack of fans in New York does not equate to a lack of entertainment as he came from two sets down to stun ninth seed Diego Schwartzman 3-6 4-6 6-2 6-1 7-5 last night.
Murray said: “It will be tricky – obviously the atmosphere at the matches is going to be zero.
“I play my first match on Arthur Ashe. Some of the best atmospheres I’ve ever played in tennis have been on that court.
“To go out there in such a huge stadium and have literally no one in the stands is going to be weird. I know that’s going to be the case so at least I can prepare for it mentally. It’s different but I’m just looking forward to getting to compete in a Slam again.
“I guess you just have to try to find what works for you.
“When I go on the court, if I was basically quiet, not show any emotion and not talk, I’d feel really uncomfortable, very stressed and uptight.
“There’s a level of intensity I feel I need to bring. I need to make sound on the court, make noise to play my best.”
Murray has not played a bestof-five sets singles match since having a metal plate inserted into his hip in January 2019. But he is backing his body to cope, having reached the third round of last week’s Western and Southern Open.
Declaring his body “will learn fast”, he added: “It has been playing tennis matches its whole life, I think it will adjust to what it is required to do. It might just take a bit of time because it has not done it for a while.”
Norrie’s win featured 58 break points – a US Open record – as he saved two match points in the final set while Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot were among the Brits watching. Norrie said: “Schwartzman was getting a little bit upset at them cheering but it was good to have that support.” Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas routed Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-2 6-1 6-1, while women’s No.1 seed Karolina Pliskova hammered Anhelina Kalinina 6-4 6-0. Meanwhile, doubles star Edouard Roger-Vasselin said he is “in a bubble in the bubble” after Benoit Paire’s withdrawal due to a positive Covid-19 test. All players in contact with the world No.23 are subject to daily testing and quarantine rules, including being forbidden to use the lift in the players’ hotel.