The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Murray will play through pain barrier
Scot to defend Wimbledon title, say Djokovic:
Novak Djokovic expects Andy Murray to either recover from his hip injury or play through pain to defend his title next week at Wimbledon.
The world No 1’s preparations were again under mined when injury forced his withdrawal from an exhibition match at Hurlingham scheduled for today.
On Tuesday the same problem led to him pulling out of facing France’s Lucas Pouille, with the Scot having also suffered from shingles, the flu and an elbow injury amid his inconsistent form so far in 2017.
World No 4 Djokovic yesterday learnt he had been seeded second behind Murray at Wimbledon, despite his disappointing results over the past 12 months.
His rivalry with his fellow 30-year-old will likely be the one that defines his career, and discussing Murray’s prospects he said: “I’m sure Andy does everything in his power to get himself ready and prepared for his first match.
“He’s got a team of great professionals. There is a reason behind it, because they all make sure that every single aspect of our bodies are being taken care of and worked on and to the state where you can perform your best.
“At times it’s not possible. But we have learned how to play through pain. Professional athletes are very familiar with pain on a daily basis, whether it’s a small stiffness, tightness, soreness, or something even bigger.
“There are times when you have to take anti-inflammatories. There are times when you try to do it without the tablets. I’m sure all the athletes can relate to that. I’m against tablets and anti-inflammatories, but at times I have to take them because I’ve got to play a match in a grand slam.
“If I have an issue, I have to ask a question whether I want to play kind of 50% or I want to play 100% if I have an opportunity to do that.
“There is always something that is going on, but we are not robots. We are humans, we have to deal with those things. Those adversities that we have to face on the court and challenges are actually there to be presented as an opportunity for us to learn, to get stronger, to grow.
“This is a challenge that is not unknown to him. He has faced these kind of circumstances before where he hasn’t maybe played as much, didn’t have as good results that he had over the years.
“But he’s a champion. He’s someone that has proven so many times that he’s one of the best players in the world. He’s defending champion of Wimbledon. You’ve got to take this in consideration rather than just focusing on this very present moment.”
Djokovic had earlier overcome Donald Young of America 6-2 7-6 (11/9) to progress to the semi-finals of the Aegon International at Eastbourne, where he is the number one seed.
Meanwhile Roger Federer believes Murray will not want to defend his Wimbledon title if he is not fit enough to retain it.
As reigning SW19 champion, Murray is due to have the traditional honour of opening the championships on Centre Court on Monday afternoon.
But seven-time Wimbledon winner Federer warned: “I think he would need to feel like he could play for 14 days – or seven matches.
“If you feel you can only play one match, I don’t think then it’s good enough to play the tournament. Because going over the best of five sets, over two weeks, only the tough ones will survive.
“You need to feel confident in your body at some stage, otherwise what’s the point? To put yourself out there just to be out there? Andy’s had too much success to do that.
“The world’s watching because it’s the defending champion, opening the court, it’s a big deal. Because it’s a big deal you feel like you want to be at 100% , or at least as close to 100% as you can be.”
As well as his fitness worries, the Scot is desperately short of game time on grass having lost in the first round to Jordan Thompson at Queen’s Club last Tuesday.
It means the top seed will start the tournament without winning a match on the surface since beating Milos Raonic in last year’s final.
But Federer, favourite to land a record eighth Wimbledon title, still thinks that Murray – if fit – will be a major player at this year’s championships.
“He’s the reigning champ, so I feel for him the most important thing is to get through the first week, and the good thing for him is he’s a great first-week player,” added the Swiss star.
“If he is 100% physically on Monday I think we will see a very strong Andy Murray at these championships.”
Federer was speaking at the unveiling of the Laver Cup trophy, alongside fellow greats Rod Laver and John McEnroe.
The inaugural Laver Cup, between Europe and the Rest of the World, takes place in Prague from September 22-24.