ANDY PULLS A SLOW ONE!
UNDERARM, overarm. And all of it most uncommon for Wimbledon.
But devious Andy Murray produced the Wobble of Wimbledon in opponent James Duckworth, with a shock tactic that turned the tide of their firstround clash and set up a 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 win on Centre Court.
And he begged the SW19 chiefs to give him another shot on Centre Court for his second round against John Isner.
Normally a player ranked No. 52 in the world would not stand a chance of taking the main stage against the big-serving American.
But after his first singles victory inside the arena at full capacity for five years, Murray said: “It was amazing to be back here in front of a full crowd after last year.
“I am getting on a bit now. I don’t know how many opportunities I will get here so I want to make the most of it every time. I will hopefully get another match here in a couple of days.
“There is always nerves and pressure and butterflies and stress before the first round. But I did well to regroup after the first set. It was great to get out here and get a win under my belt and hopefully play better from here on in.”
Duckworth is not one to show any sentimental respect for reputations. The Australian arrived full of bluster and after a flurry of exchanged breaks hit two thunderous forehands on his way to closing out the first set.
Even though Murray settled into some more fluent tennis in the second, the third set was finely balanced – until the 35-year-old produced the unexpected.
With the score 2-1 in his favour, on the second point of the fourth game Murray suddenly whipped his serve in underarm for only the second time in his entire career.
A stunned Duckworth scampered to the net and managed to keep the ball in play. Murray then attempted the lob and, even at full stretch, Duckworth could only hit the ball with the frame of his racket, sending it looping high into the Centre Court sky.
When it finally came down, Murray showed no mercy as he smashed the ball down into the ground and away for a winner.
The brazen ploy was greeted by warm applause by the bemused Centre Court fans – a far cry from the boos which Murray got when he first tried the trick against Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells last October - catching the Spaniard out with an unlikely ace. “It was smart play,” Murray had said at the time – and indeed it proved to be once again here.
Murray won the next three games to all but seal a 2-1 set advantage.
Perhaps the Australian’s complaints about the fading light had given the inspiration for trying a gentler, underarm serve. Certainly the moaning
Sneaky Murray serves underarm to turn tide as he battles back from a set down in a Centre Court thriller
continued throughout the course of the third set, but the umpire only relented and shut the roof once Murray had secured his lead.
Duckworth took the change of conditions with a renewed level-headedness and used a mixture of power and greater creativity with his shots to try to resist Murray’s momentum.
In the end, though, it was nerve that told. A double fault on break point in the ninth game – both overarms, for the record – gave Murray a chance to serve for the match after two hours and 43 minutes .
Hawkeye denied him a winning ace then when Duckworth challenged his second serve incorrectly the match was finally forfeit.
Ultimately, he had been undone by the overarm just as completely as the underarm.