USA TODAY International Edition
Sore ankle could slow Murray in third round
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA The Australian Open has presented as something of a sore spot for Andy Murray, who has journeyed to five finals in Melbourne but has yet to pack the trophy to take home.
It would seem as if it would only be fair that a guy who worked so hard and has had so many unanswered opportunities at winning this Grand Slam tournament title is deserving of a little Down Under luck.
Statistically speaking, however, the odds don’t seem to be in the world No. 1’ s favor, as no male player in the Open era has lost five finals in any given Grand Slam and then gone on to win the title. Murray lost his first final at Melbourne Park to Roger Federer in 2010 and all the others to Novak Djokovic in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016.
Nevertheless, there’s no point in jumping ahead to the final when there’s four rounds to win before Murray could again contest for the Australian Open honors.
Murray’s more immediate concern was to wake up Thursday morning without a sore and swollen right ankle.
During his 6- 3, 6- 0, 6- 2 win against qualifier Andrey Rublev of Russia on Wednesday night, Murray fell in the third game of the third set and rolled over his right ankle. The Briton, who briefly clutched his leg, called the trainer to the court after finishing the game but didn’t receive treatment. He wears ankle supports when playing, which he feels is a great protection.
“It’s a little bit sore but not too serious,” he told the crowd. “I rolled it. I can put weight on it, so I’m sure it will be fine.”
After icing the ankle in the locker room, Murray was cautious. “I think it’s OK, and I don’t think I did too much damage,” he said. “I’ll see how it feels in the morning when I wake up. It was sore and throbbing for the rest of the match.”
The ankle felt good enough Thursday af- ternoon ( Wednesday night ET) that he hit the practice court.
Murray, who has never lost to a player ranked as low as 152nd- ranked Rublev at a tour- level event, played a clean match in which he never faced a break point on serve. The three- time Grand Slam champion is now on a 13- match winning streak against qualifiers — his last loss to a qualifier was in 2014 when he fell to Santiago Grialdo in the Madrid tournament.
Rublev, who at 19 is a decade younger than Murray, is no longer a worry and wasn’t expected to pose much problem.
So now the concern is to look ahead to Murray’s third- round opponent Friday, the 31st- seeded American Sam Querrey, who advanced with a 7- 6 ( 7- 5), 6- 0, 6- 1 secondround decision against 17- year- old Australian Alex De Minaur.
Murray, who became the first player in Olympic history to successfully defend a singles gold medal in Rio last summer, has a sterling record vs. Querrey. They have played seven times, and Murray has lost once, at the 2010 Los Angeles tournament.
It’s been a while since Murray last squared off against Querrey, in the 2014 Davis Cup first round, but there’s no secret to Querrey’s advantages on court.
Querrey is 6- 6, and his game is wrapped around his serve. If he’s bombing serves for free points, he can present a problem, though it’s worth noting Murray’s return is a hallmark shot.
The Briton has the more complete game and shouldn’t struggle if the ankle doesn’t present a problem.
Nevertheless, Querrey is always capable of sending shock waves around a tournament as he did when he upset then No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon third round last summer.
“He’s a dangerous player with a big serve,” Murray said. “He obviously had a big win a couple of Slams ago against Novak, and I’m well aware of that.”