Mauresmo’s words ring loud as Murray aims to silence Stepanek
ANDY MURRAY will begin his French Open bid today against the oldest man in the draw, Radek Stepanek, expecting a tough match but confident he has all the answers. Whether he will have all the answers off the court is a different matter.
Murray’s split from coach Amelie Mauresmo, which seemed amicable when it was announced earlier this month, took a twist at the weekend when the Frenchwoman dropped a very big hint that the Scot’s on-court behaviour played a significant role in the decision to part ways.
Though the former world No.1, who had her first child in August, was struggling to commit to the 25 weeks per year that Murray wanted her alongside him, her words were a clear indication that there was more to it.
Murray won seven titles under Mauresmo’s guidance but the most obvious sign that all was not perfect in their world came in Miami in March, when she sat apart from the rest of the team, eager to try something new to see if it changed Murray’s tendency, when not 100 percent focused, to rant in the direction of his box.
As Mauresmo told L’Equipe: “Murray is complex”. The Scot is often dismissive of those who attempt to get inside his head, saying that when he is shouting towards his support team, he is really just ranting to himself.
But Murray has also admitted in the past that he knows that doing so wastes energy and that at times, he has allowed his on-court attitude to affect his performance.
Yesterday, the famed coach Nick Bollettieri drew the comparison between Murray and Novak Djokovic, the world No.1 and favourite here, in how the two respond to difficult moments on court.
“You can’t take everything away from the man,” said Bollettieri, who said he had no problem with Murray “throwing a fist” [towards his box] every now and again.
“You can’t take everything away from him. But remember, Boris Becker used to slap his a**e, but get right back into the next point. That’s what Boris has brought to Djokovic now.
“You can’t hold in frustration all the time, but you have to know how to release it and get ready for the next point.”
By all accounts, Murray and Mauresmo got on very well and since the world No.2 doesn’t usually like airing his dirty washing in public, he is unlikely to enjoy answering some potentially difficult questions.
On the court, Murray should have too much for the wily Stepanek, who came through qualifying to reach the main draw.
At 37, the Czech is still a strong competitor, as he showed when taking a set off Murray in his opening match at the Madrid Masters earlier this month.
Murray leads their head-to-head meetings 6-2, the first of which was way back in 2005 at Wimbledon, when the manner of the Scot’s demolition of the then 14th seed suggested what might be to come.
The 29-year-old, seeded second here this year, has won all three of their meetings on clay, but lost to him at Queen’s two years ago and won’t underestimate a man who is improving again, having undergone neck surgery in 2013.
“I had to dig really deep to come back and to be able to compete with the best guys in the world,” remarked Stepanek. “Now, I’m in a good position, obviously playing some good tennis on clay, which was not always my greatest surface.”
In the opposite half to Djokovic and having avoided the nine-times champion Rafael Nadal Murray is the second favourite with the bookmakers to win what would be his first French Open title.
However, Stan Wawrinka, the man who upset Djokovic to win the trophy at Roland Garros last year, could await Murray in the semi-finals.