Andy salt & battery
ANDY MURRAY is rubbing salt into his wounds – and, for once, this really is a very good thing.
Determined not to suffer similar bouts of cramp to those that afflicted him in his opening match on Monday, Murray has been filching the condiments on offer in the players’ restaurant in the hope that more salt in his system will do the trick.
“There are little one-gram sachets of salt in the restaurant I take,” he said. “I have changed a few things, not so much what I’m eating but what I’m drinking. I’m making sure I have enough fluids down me and take a bit more salt to see if that helps.”
Murray certainly looked in fine fettle on Thursday night as he powered past Matthias Bachinger 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in one hour 46 minutes. On a cool, windy evening he moved well, struck the ball cleanly and had far too much firepower and experience for the world No235.
Now he takes on Andrey Kuznetsov, the Russian who has made a habit of beating Spanish seeds of late.
At Wimbledon, he did for David Ferrer in the second round and in the Big Apple he took bites out of Fernando Verdasco to win in five sets.
After winning the Wimbledon junior title in 2009, Kuznetsov, 23, has been trying to make his mark on the senior circuit and only now is getting his reward.
“Obviously it’s the best year for me, the most successful,” said Kuznetsov. “It’s good when you pass two rounds in two Grand Slams in a row. It means that your level is probably rising up, so I’m happy about it.
“There is no pressure for me and I can play. I can try to do some things and, for Murray, it’s probably going to be more difficult in this situation. But still he is a favourite.”
The two have not met before and Kuznetsov, ranked 96 in the world, thinks that may work in his favour – he has seen more of Murray’s matches than the Scot will have seen of his.
Murray is taking no chances. “I haven’t followed his progress that closely,” he said. “But he has obviously played some good tennis in the Slams this year. He is lasting well in the five-set matches because Verdasco is a pretty fit guy and matches with him are always physical. I will get the full video of the match.”
Kuznetsov will prepare for the match by keeping his head down. Coached by his father, Alexander, he lives with his parents and goes to work with his dad. As a result, “whenever I have the chance, I go somewhere else,” he said.
Meanwhile, the salt supplies in the players’ restaurant are dwindling with every round
Murray plays.