Murray ignites World No1 fired up at French Open
Briton overcomes tetchy start to battle past Klizan World No 1 in positive mood for Del Potro test
It was another sweaty struggle for Andy Murray in Paris yesterday, a grapple in the red dust that extended him to fully 3hr 35min. But even if the quality of his tennis against Martin Klizan was “patchy”, in the view of Eurosport commentator Greg Rusedski, the man himself left the court in high spirits.
And perhaps this is a breakthrough in itself: the fact that Murray is sounding positive about his game at last. After such a chequered season, he needs to find encouragement wherever he can.
Tomorrow’s third-round match against Juan Martín del Potro – a repeat of last year’s Olympic final – will represent arguably as tough a prospect as Murray has faced all year. But if he can convince himself that he flicked a switch yesterday against Klizan, he should be able to walk out on court with a hint of swagger.
“Today’s match will have done me a lot of good,” Murray said last night. “Physically I pulled up well and felt good, so I will gain a lot of confidence from that. Also I hit a lot of balls out there today, more than the first-round match.
“He [Del Potro] is one of the best players in the world. But I definitely feel like I’m capable of winning that match. I’m playing way better than I was two weeks ago.”
Yesterday was a dogfight against Klizan, an unpredictable Slovakian who possesses a barn-burner of a forehand. Part of the problem was that Murray failed to stamp on his opponent early. Instead he came out as if half asleep, so sluggish was his footwork in the early stages, and for the first hour he gave a masterclass in whingeing and general negativity.
“I’m so worried about my movement I can’t concentrate,” he barked at his support team.
But after losing the opening set on a tie-break, Murray made a tactical adjustment. “I stepped way back on the second-serve return, whereas in the first set I was stepping in and not getting a good hit on the returns,” he explained. “So that was another positive thing for me today, which I maybe hadn’t been doing in Rome and Madrid.
When I was in a tough situation I found the solution, made some changes, and it worked out.”
Having dominated the second and third sets, Murray took a buffeting again in the fourth. There was also a hint of gamesmanship from his opponent.
Klizan took a medical timeout, and followed it by refusing to move for a few points, as if handicapped by his heavily strapped left calf. Then, all of a sudden, he was sprinting around the court again and playing with great verve and variety.
Having disrupted Murray’s rhythm for a few games, Klizan served to take the match into a deciding set. But Murray broke back and finally closed out his victory by a 6-7, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 scoreline. It was an entertaining contest, featuring innumerable drop shots and many switches of momentum.
Afterwards, Murray was asked about his extensive grumbling – which on this occasion also involved a prolonged debate with the umpire about the position of the wire-mounted camera at the side of the court. (Murray objected that it was in his eye line and threatened to sit down if it was not moved.) He responded by admitting that his attitude might need to perk up.
“When I’m playing, and especially when I’m frustrated or down, I don’t always project a lot of positivity on the court,” he said. “So I think my job is really to try to be more positive.
“But the last few months have obviously been tough. [There’s] not been a lot of good stuff going on out there. When I’m getting frustrated, I think it’s not easy for [my backroom team], either. Like I said, it was a good match for me to get through today. And hopefully we get a chance to do better next time.”
Murray’s physical status remains less than perfect. He kept coughing during his post-match interview, and spent much of the match shaking out his right elbow after he had served. Mentally and emotionally, though, he will front up against Del Potro in the best shape we have seen for months.
Britain had a second winner yesterday, when Kyle Edmund forged through to the third round with a 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Renzo Olivo, of Argentina. He will play Kevin Anderson, of South Africa, tomorrow for a place in the last 16.
“Conditions today were hot, so the ball was flying around,” said Edmund, who has one of the biggest forehands in the game. “I think that really suited me. But now I know I’m going to have to play well to beat Anderson. He’s got a big game.”