KO blow stuns Andy
Murray vow after shocker
ANDY MURRAY’S Wimbledon hopes took a massive hit yesterday when he was crushed by an Aussie no-hoper. World No.1 Murray lost in straight sets to 90th ranked Jordan Thompson in the first round of the Aegon Championship at London’s Queen’s Club. Stand-in Thompson, who won 7-6 6-2, was only playing because Aljaz Bedene had pulled out through injury. Murray said: “I won’t win Wimbledon if I play like that.” The Scot had vowed to donate all his prize money from Queen’s to the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster. But he banked only £12,000 instead of a potential winner’s cheque for £374,000. He insisted the gesture had not piled extra pressure on himself, saying: “I don’t think it’s fair to place blame anywhere like that.”
ANDY MURRAY has vowed to put things right at Wimbledon after his Queen’s shocker yesterday.
The world No.1 crashed out in the first round to a ‘lucky loser’, Jordan Thompson.
Aussie Thompson was only called up to meet Murray four hours before the match after Brit Aljaz Bedene cried off with a wrist injury.
But Thompson, a 23-year-old from Sydney, played like a champion to send title-holder Murray spinning out of the Aegon Championships 7-5 6-2.
The defeat has torn Murray’s Wimbledon preparations to shreds, costing him vital match practice ahead of the defence of his crown in two weeks.
Murray has lost nine times in 2017, having been sidelined by an elbow injury, and six times to an opponent ranked outside the top 20.
He said: “I won’t win Wimbledon if I play like that but I can play better than that.
“Hopefully I get enough time on the court these next couple of weeks and work on some things. I’m going to need to.”
Murray had pledged his winnings to the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster but won only £12,000 instead of the winner’s £374,000. He added: “Obviously, I would have liked to have done well here for a number of reasons, that being a very good one.” Murray won Wimbledon in 2013 and last year, both times after triumphing at Queen’s. “This tournament has given me a great preparation in the past and when I have done well here, Wimbledon has tended to go pretty well, too,” he said. “But guys in the past have gone in to Wimbledon having not won lots of matches. “Novak Djokovic, a number of times, hasn’t played any warm-up tournaments and played very well there. “I feel like I can still do very well at Wimbledon, providing I do everything right these next couple of weeks.” There were signs of a return to form when Murray reached the French Open semifinals this month. But he was on the ropes yesterday. For Thompson (left), it was his first win against a player in the top 20. He said: “Andy’s the world number one – I’ve looked up to him and that’s definitely the biggest win of my career.”