Hands up if you’re playing Wimbledon
Murray upbeat over fitness as he draws dangerous Frenchman
About 90 minutes after landing the eccentric Frenchman Benoit Paire as his first-round opponent, Andy Murray arrived on the practice court at Wimbledon’s Aorangi Park wearing a T-shirt that carried the giant logo “I WILL”.
This was the clearest message that Murray (inset) would send on a day when he put in two practice sessions then marched back to the locker room with a knot of reporters following him and that familiar hitch in his step.
Now that he knew his opponent, and the probable time of their meeting (second on Centre Court on Tuesday), did the Scot still plan to participate?
“I think most likely yes,” said Murray, whose coach Jamie Delgado was ordered to change his shirt yesterday because it did not comply with the All England Club’s all-white policy. “I will chat to my team this afternoon and also see in the next couple of days. I will be playing sets and stuff.
“The thing is, I obviously don’t know every single day how things are going to be. I need to play it a little bit by ear. I can’t predict how I am going to feel in two days but if I feel like I do today in a couple of days, I will be playing providing there are no setbacks.”
Ironically, Paire was the last man that Murray beat at Wimbledon, in a fourth-round meeting last year. That win came in straight sets: 7-6, 6-4, 6-4. Murray was match-tight at the time, even if his hip was becoming more agonising with each passing day.
Paire has a big serve and a worldclass backhand, but his forehand is so unpredictable that he sometimes runs around to hit the doublehander instead. This is almost unique in professional tennis, where 99 per cent of players prefer to do the opposite.
He also has a fondness for eyecatching looks. Before last month’s French Open, he dyed his hair white, making himself resemble a Mr Whippy. He later adjusted this to a light grey that contrasted alarmingly with the natural darkness of his hipster beard.
Cosmetics apart, this is a tough draw to start with. Paire’s ranking might stand at No 48 but he has climbed as high as No18.
He is also comfortable on grass, as he showed last week in Halle by bringing up two match points – which he could not take – against Wimbledon’s top seed, Roger Federer.
Having lost the match, Paire then posted a video on social media that showed him driving home at 126mph. The German autobahn has no speed limit.
This was a very Paire move. In 2013, he reacted to his thirdround defeat at Wimbledon by smashing all his rackets against the wall at the side of Court 18. The following year he complained that the atmosphere at the tournament “displeases me greatly” and added: “Here all they like is giving fines.”
But last summer he changed his tune, saying “This year, I’m happy to come because it’s even an honour to play here, a privilege to be on these courts.”
Asked about his opening opponent yesterday, Murray replied: “I guess I could have played one of the top players in the world. At this stage where I am at, playing Paire in the first round is tricky for me. He is a very, very talented guy [and] awkward to play against.”
While Murray practised, Paire was in action yesterday at the Boodles exhibition event at Stoke Park. He lost 6-2, 7-6 to Sam Querrey, the big-serving American who ended Murray’s Wimbledon run in the quarter-finals last year.
“It’s unlucky to play against Andy in a Wimbledon first round,” said Paire yesterday. “If he comes on court it’s because he’s 100 per cent. So it will be tough.”
In other news from the draw, Federer will begin his tilt at a ninth Wimbledon title against Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic. British No 1 Kyle Edmund collected a favourable first-round draw against Australian qualifier Alex Bolt, the world No 205, but he is also likely to run into 12th seed Novak Djokovic in the last 32 if he gets that far.
On the women’s side, Serena Williams will play Arantxa Rus of Holland, and could face a thirdround clash with fifth seed Elina Svitolina. Johanna Konta has a comfortable opener – on paper – against world No 106 Natalia Vikhlyantseva.