What a return! Murray is back in a final
NINE months and one hip surgery after those emotional farewells in Australia, Andy Murray is back in a final on the ATP Tour.
Victory this afternoon at the European Open in Antwerp, where he will face fellow former Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, would surely rank among his most extraordinary feats, given what has gone on these past two years.
Last night Murray somehow hauled himself through a semi-final in which he sometimes looked jaded and often second best, until his young opponent succumbed to the pressure of the occasion.
He defeated France’s world No70 Ugo Humbert 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 after initially struggling to impose his game following four straight tournaments across two continents. Today will be his first final since winning the Dubai Open in early March of 2017 and having two operations. He faces the Swiss, against whom he played in the French Open semi-final of that year, the last big match before his serious hip problems became apparent.
‘I feel good,’ insisted Murray, who has complained of a sore elbow this week. ‘It has been a long road to get back to this point. I didn’t expect it to come so soon, it has been a big surprise to me.’
Wawrinka has suffered with his knees but is sure to be the fresher of the two men after dismissing the startling teenage Italian talent Jannik Sinner in straight sets earlier in the day.
Whatever happens, just getting to the final has been a remarkable effort by Murray, who arrived in Belgium after three weeks in China, aware all the while that his wife Kim is soon to give birth to their third child at home in Surrey.
This will be his last match before taking a break and preparing for the Davis Cup finals late next month.
Humbert, 21 and regarded as a serious prospect, had dominated the first half of the match with his penetrating left-handed strokes. Murray was too passive at times and appeared to be feeling the strain of his recent workload.
The 32-year-old Scot, sarcastically engaging with his support box, got a break for 3-1 in the second but it was no great surprise when he was immediately broken back. Everything pointed towards the Frenchman claiming a straight sets victory as he continued to punish the twice Wimbledon champion’s second serve. Then out of the blue at 5-6 Humbert began to miss badly, and thanks to a double fault Murray converted the third of his three break points to take it into another decider.
A run of five straight games put him decisively ahead and he closed it out comfortably at the end. Wawrinka may be less forgiving, but merely being back in a final is an incredible testament to Murray’s resolve.
ALEXANDER VOLKOV, the Russian who reached the last 16 of Wimbledon four times and also the 1993 US Open semi-final, has died aged 52.