Murray beaten by Edmund in battle of Britain as SW19 sweat continues
Scot still to decide if his game is ready for rigours of SW19
KYLE EDMUND would have been first to admit that this was never about a changing of the guard at the top of British tennis ... not when the man he defeated in two sets was playing just his third competitive match after a year out following hip surgery.
Andy Murray is certainly putting the components of his game back together after his long lay-off, but he is still to decide whether enough progress has been made to give Wimbledon a decent crack next week.
This 6-4, 6-4 defeat in an hour and 41 minutes at Eastbourne was the first time he has lost to a compatriot since he was beaten by Tim Henman in Bangkok in 2006.
That was not significant, though. What matters to the Scot right now is if he is playing well enough to compete in a best-of-five-set tournament.
For Murray, this felt like a reminder of the work ahead if the former world No 1 is to return to the top following his serious hip issues.
Against the man who has succeeded him as British No 1, he didn’t appear to move as freely as he did in his straight-sets demolition of Stan Wawrinka in the first round on Monday.
He struggled to handle the huge serve and fearsome forehand of Edmund and must now decide whether his body can handle the rigours of SW19.
After the match he said he was confident he would not do any further damage and it was simply a question of whether he can do himself justice.
‘There is no risk of me playing tennis just now,’ said the 31-year-old, who wants to make his decision before tomorrow’s Wimbledon draw.
‘It’s just whether I feel like I’m able to do myself justice. Two weeks ago I practised with Kyle and I didn’t win a game.
‘So I have made decent improvements over the last couple of weeks and have been somewhat competitive in the matches that I have played.
‘I don’t just want to go out there to just play. I want to be able to compete properly. And if I don’t feel like I can do that, then I won’t play.
‘If I do and physically I feel ready, mentally I’m in the right place, then I’ll go for it.’
Edmund refused to read too much into his first career win over Murray at the third attempt.
He did concede it was a strange sensation, however.
‘He’s been at the top for so long,’ said 23-year-old Edmund, who faces world No 90 Mikhail Kukushkin from Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals today.
‘It’s really incredible what he’s done in British tennis, in world tennis. He’s going to go down as one of the best players of all time. It was a little bit strange to beat him but that’s the game we’re in. We’re here to beat each other.’
Edmund later tweeted an effusive tribute to Murray which suggested he is confident the Scot will join him in the SW19 draw.
‘It was an honour as always to share the court with you today,’ he wrote alongside a picture of the pair.
‘You’ve been a great mentor over the years and to see you back is truly inspirational. See you at Wimbledon.’
Murray had played two matches before this, losing to an unpredictable Nick Kyrgios
at Queen’s then beating Wawrinka quite comfortably. The silver lining is this was another good workout.
He started the match with a double fault and, annoyed with himself, he was broken.
in the following game, the Scot squandered four chances to break back. edmund was the more energised of the two. As murray lost the first set, alarm bells were ringing.
Quite literally. A nearby car alarm echoed around Centre Court but it proved less of a distraction for edmund, who sealed the set with an ace.
At 2-2 in the second set, a game lasting 13 minutes ended with murray dropping his serve via a double fault. edmund had broken him, and murray broke his racket in frustration. A love hold left edmund with a 4-2 lead before he broke again for 5-2. Serving for the match, murray showed some fighting spirit, breaking his opponent for the first time.
on his second opportunity, edmund served out the match, having shaken off those late jitters, and the new british no 1 had beaten the old.
Johanna Konta, meanwhile, was beaten by world no 2 Caroline Wozniacki, who came from a set down to win 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 at eastbourne.
it meant Konta’s losing streak against the world’s top ten was extended to seven matches. Her last win against a top player was her Wimbledon quarter-final victory over then world no 2 Simona Halep.