Painful to watch as the end looks nigh for warrior Murray
WHEN Andy Murray starts to question his work ethic you know something is awry. Whatever else, etched deep into his career has been a monastic dedication to his craft. It has allowed him to go where no singles player has gone before, playing with a large lump of metal in the hip. Yet in the wake of a sobering defeat at the Paris Masters on Monday night to 37-year-old Frenchman Gilles Simon — who is about to retire — a dejected Murray castigated himself in unprecedented terms, admitting he had not been in the gym enough.
His problem against Simon was the return of cramping issues halfway through the second set, which saw him blow a 6-4, 5-3 lead and lose 6-3 in the decider. ‘Having that happen after a set and a half on an indoor court, where it’s not particularly hot, is not really acceptable,’ the Scot said. ‘When you lose matches, and it feels like it’s down to your physicality, it’s really, really disappointing.
‘I don’t think the last four or five months that’s necessarily been happening, since the issue started around Newport and Washington time (immediately after Wimbledon).
‘It’s nothing to do with my hip. I think the reality is I need to work harder. Obviously, there are certain things I can and can’t do nowadays. I need to be a bit more careful with some of the training.’
Six years ago Murray (below) won this title to become world No 1. Adding insult to injury on Monday was the lack of respect from a raucous crowd, supporting the outgoing Simon with continual shouts on Murray’s serve and applause for his double faults. It was painful to watch this outstanding warrior-athlete in a reduced state, rushing between points and swishing as much in hope as expectation.
Even someone with his levels of determination must wonder if it is all worth it. Murray stated that cramping issues have dogged him for four months. Only he can know, but it is plausible that tension and nerves may be another factor. ‘I’ve not really done much since the US Open (in September), like, physically in the gym, or anything, very, very little,’ he said. ‘I’m probably conditioned in some ways for tennis, because my body is responding well to the matches. ‘I know I’ll wake up tomorrow and feel OK. But from an endurance perspective, that’s something I pride myself on, being there right to the end.’ Murray, 35, will now return home and then plans a threeweek trip to Florida to team up with mentor Ivan Lendl. But you wonder how many more seasons there will be for the double Wimbledon champion. lJACK
DRAPER is one win from cracking the world’s top 40 after another impressive showing in the Paris Masters. Shutting out a partisan crowd at Bercy, the 20-year-old defeated Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 6-4 to set up a match against Frances Tiafoe. Dan Evans was another British winner yesterday, edging out American Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. He will now face world No 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas.