MURRAY BLANKED AUSSIE ACTION
Andy couldn’t bear to watch Slam on TV
ANDY MURRAY has revealed that he couldn’t bring himself to watch the Australian Open after being forced to miss the event.
And he even ‘unfollowed’ other players on social media so he wasn’t constantly reminded of how the tournament was unfolding.
The former world No 1 was unable to travel to Australia following an untimely bout of coronavirus and, while the rest of the leading names in the sport were doing battle in Melbourne, he was competing at a Challenger tournament in Italy.
Murray admitted: ‘I didn’t watch any because I wanted to be there myself. It was a struggle, to be honest. I stopped following all the tennis players I follow on social media and stuff because I just didn’t really want to see it.’
The tournament ended in familiar fashion on Sunday, with Novak Djokovic winning a ninth title thanks to a straight-sets win over Daniil Medvedev in the men’s singles final.
It struck another blow for the old guard of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer against the younger generation.
Murray delivered a downbeat assessment of the youthful challengers and expects the current big names to dominate for some time.
But he still believes Medvedev is probably the pick of the upcomers.
‘I expected the final to be closer, to be honest, but I also know how good Novak is there and when he’s on his game and obviously highly motivated,’ said the 33-year-old Scot.
‘I saw before the final Medvedev said something along the lines of Novak having immense pressure on him, which is true, but those guys have been at the top of the game, they’ve been dealing with immense pressure their whole careers and they know how to deal with it and perform at their best level when it matters.
‘The younger guys, for me, they’ve not shown that they’re particularly close.
‘Obviously what happened at the US Open, (Dominic) Thiem did what he had to do to win the event, but, if Novak hadn’t put a ball through the line judge’s throat, it would be the same outcome I think.’
Murray made the most of his time in Italy, reaching the final before losing to Illya Marchenko.
He will play his first ATP Tour event of the season this week at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier and he remains bullish about his hopes as he continues to work his way back from long-term injury problems.
‘It was good to get the five matches,’ he said. ‘I found it tricky conditions to play there to be honest. In terms of the level of tennis, it was at times okay.
‘I think around the quarters or something I was feeling a little bit tired and then actually played a really good match in the semi-finals and felt fine. Then I actually felt fine on the finals days and then when the match started I just felt very heavy-legged and I didn’t deal with it well at all. But I guess it’s kind of understandable, I hadn’t played many matches in the last five months and was coming off two weeks where I basically wasn’t allowed to do anything because of the virus.
‘And physically, in terms of pain, I felt good. My hips and stuff were good. I play in practice with lots of top players and I know how I get on against them. If I was getting smoked when I was practising, I wouldn’t keep going through it. But I know the level I am playing at.
‘Provided I can stay fit for a period of time and get good practice and matches in, I don’t see why I shouldn’t be able to compete with the best players.
‘Obviously playing your Rafas, Novaks, Rogers, Medvedevs, Thiems, it’s difficult. That would have been the case when I was ranked right up at the top of the game.
‘I still feel like I can compete for big events. I wish I was able to show that in Australia. I was ready to do that. No question.’
Negotiating coronavirus-related travel restrictions is another headache with which all tennis players are having to become familiar.
Murray revealed that, despite recovering from his minor bout of Covid early in January, he is still occasionally testing positive as he sheds the virus.
His journey to France was delayed as he waited for a Covid test and he needs a negative one to be able to travel to his next tournament in Rotterdam next week.
‘It’s challenging and tricky but that’s the situation we’re in right now and all the players are in it,’ he said.
His first round opponent this week is Egor Gerasimov of Belarus, ranked 83rd in the world.
I still feel I can compete for big events. I wish I was able to show it