Andy gets a kick again
Jo hits at ‘invasive’ drug tests KYLE’S HIGH ON BIG BRIT HOPES
FOR a moment or two, Andy Murray was more interested in France’s incredible World Cup comeback than his own at Wimbledon.
Argentina had been leading 2-1 in their last-16 clash with Les Bleus yesterday when the Scot walked into his press conference.
But three quickfire cheers from an adjoining room told him the game had rapidly changed.
“I can’t believe I’m missing this match,” he said, laughing and shaking his head.
“It’s, like, 4-2 or something. Should we just all go and watch it?”
More laughter followed, although if anyone had made for the door you sensed Murray would have got up and bolted after them.
What is no laughing matter for Murray is the fact he is back at Wimbledon after a miserable, injury-plagued year which cast serious doubts over the future of the 31-year-old.
“I’m pumped, obviously,” he added, “because four or five weeks ago, I didn’t know whether I’d be capable of competing at a level I’d be happy with.
“The last couple of weeks have been beneficial.
“I don’t think I played amazing in the matches, but I’ve done well, considering the opponents, the level of guys I’ve played against.
Nervous
“Wimbledon is special for a lot of reasons and I always want to be here competing.
“But it feels a little bit odd coming into the tournament this year – normally I feel really nervous, lots of pressure, and I expect a lot of myself.
“I’ve always loved that and enjoyed that in a way.
“It has been difficult, but I enjoyed it, whereas this year it feels very, very different.”
Asked if his presence was confirmation he would definitely play, he said: “Yes – unless in the next couple of days I wake up and don’t feel good.
“Through all of this I have had to view it very much day by day.”
Fingers crossed, he will be fit to face 29-year-old Benoit Paire of France in the first round on Tuesday. And, even though the former world No.1, now ranked 156, is expected to win, he is taking nothing for granted.
He added: “I don’t know how I will fare here, because how am I supposed to tell you how I’m going to feel if I play for four hours in the first match?
“I wouldn’t expect to play worse tennis than I have, I would expect my level of tennis to improve from where it was at Queen’s and Eastbourne because of the matches.
“I have been getting to practise with better players but, in terms of how I would do in the tournament results-wise, I have no idea.”
Murray is desperate to get back to his best so his daughters, Sophia and Edie, can watch him – although should his hip injury ultimately defeat him, the upside would be more time with them.
Pain
“There’s a balance of that,” he said. “Obviously, I would want them to watch me playing where I’m physically capable of playing properly, at a level that I’d be happy playing at.
“I’m not just going to keep playing for four years or three years if I don’t feel like I can play, I’m in pain, I’m not enjoying it.”
Should he get to Tuesday without any problems, he will know more about his body after his game with Paire.
“He’s a tricky guy to play against because of his style,” added Murray.
“He does hit a lot of dropshots, he serve-volleys.
“He’s unorthodox with his shot selection and stuff. He can be quite up and down, too.”
Paire’s compatriots were up and down at times yesterday, though, and it didn’t work out too badly for them.
Murray’s former coach Miles Maclagan warned: “Paire is very talented and had three match points against Roger Federer just a week or so ago.” KYLE EDMUND claims he is ready to handle the expectation of being British No.1 at Wimbledon. For the first time since 2006, Andy Murray is not the top-ranked Brit at the championships. And Edmund (left) said: “If the expectations weren’t different, there would probably be a problem, or something not right. “From going to British No.1, top 20 in the world, people know you a bit better, expect more from you, want you to do better. I want to do better.
“So that’s all natural in the world of sport, when you go up the rankings, there are more expectations.
“Ultimately, I’ve just got to do my best and whatever happens, happens.
“But the added responsibility is good, it shows you’re doing well. You have to embrace it. That’s the way I go about it.
“And if you don’t want that responsibility of having that expectation, I guess professional sport isn’t really for you.” ONE year on from the greatest run of her life to reach her first Wimbledon semi-final, Johanna Konta is champing at the bit to get back on court and do it all over again.
But while she is focusing on her form ahead of her first round on Tuesday against Natalia Vikhlyantseva, the world No.102 from Russia, Konta is willing to spare a thought for the Queen of Wimbledon, Serena Williams.
Williams is spitting fire after ‘missing’ a drugs test a couple of weeks ago. Testers from the US Anti-doping Agency turned up at her house unannounced only to find she was not at home and then refused to leave until they had seen her. They left disappointed.
Three missed tests in a 12-month period constitutes a doping violation and can result in a suspension.
Konta also missed a drugs test back in March as she travelled to California. It was, she said, “a technicality” but it freaked her out at the time.
She said: “I do feel there’s definitely room for improvement in the way athletes are sometimes treated.
“It’s quite a violating process. People come to your home. You’re in your pyjamas. You get woken out of bed, pulled out of bed, told to take down your pants, give your arm, pee in a cup. It’s an invasive process.” Edmund knows he has a long way to go before the dream of emulating Murray’s achievement of winning Wimbledon could become a reality.
But he added: “You do allow yourself to daydream, it’s the little kid inside you.
“Every tennis player probably has had that thought and feeling, ‘What it would be like to feel that?’
“I have that dream, of how cool it would be to be in that situation. I’m good at rationalising things. I know there’s a lot that needs to happen before that happens.”