Murray gets Muller intel from coach Delgado
IF Andy Murray needs to know anything new about his first opponent in the Monte Carlo Masters today, he won’t have to go too far to find out.
The world No.1 takes on Gilles Muller, the big-serving left-hander from Luxembourg in the second round, who used to be coached by Murray’s coach, Jamie Delgado.
Aged 33, Muller — ranked number 28 — is enjoying the best tennis of his career.
Muller was far too good for Tommy Robredo yesterday, seeing off the Spaniard 6-2, 6-2 to reach round two.
With his huge serve, he is not a player to be taken lightly, even if Murray has won all five of their encounters.
Placed in the other half of the draw to nine-time champion Rafael Nadal and world No2 Novak Djokovic, Murray should fancy his chances of at least matching the semi-final effort he managed here last year. The elbow injury which caused him to miss the Miami Masters and Davis Cup appears to be behind him and he has been stepping up his serving speed in practice.
The Scot turns 30 next month, which was once considered retirement age, but as Roger Federer has shown this year at the age of 35 Murray is just a youngster.
“I still feel OK,” Murray said, dead pan. “I feel fine. My body hurts more than it used to, for sure. But I feel fine. I don’t feel old. I’m still enjoying training, practicing, the matches. That’s sort of half of the battle really.
“The body holding up is important. If mentally you still are enjoying it, you still believe that you have a few more years left rather than, oh, I’ve hit 30, it’s over, it’s only going to go downhill.
“More challenges come the older you get because the players start getting better.
“The level of the younger players gets closer to the top guys. You need to find a way of not losing your skills and also improving a bit, which becomes harder when you’re older obviously.”
Djokovic, who turns 30 seven days after Murray, was a relieved man yesterday as he eked out a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win over Frenchman Gilles Simon in the second round.
Simon served for the match at 5-4 in the third set but Djokovic, beaten at the same stage last year, squeezed into round three. “It was a very difficult, physical match,” he said.
Nadal faces Brit Kyle Edmund in the second round.