It’s love-all for Deliciano and Judy

JUDY MURRAY has been known to swoon in the direction of Feliciano Lopez – and yesterday the Spaniard told her that the feeling was mutual.

The love-in occurred as the 30-year-old prepared to meet Judy’s son Andy in the third round of the US Open here today. A couple of years back the Scot’s mother and occasional coach infamously referred to the World No.32 as ‘Deliciano’ on T witter, much to the embarrassment of her child, and although Lopez’s answer was well rehearsed, there was no disguising the affection in his voice.

“I’m a great fan of her as well,” said the man from Toledo. “I have told her that. Judy is a great person and Andy and Jamie are also great guys. I know everybody has been joking about Judy and me, but we are good friends and I admire her personality and her charisma,” he added. “She has been working with Andy for a long time. It is good to meet Andy so we can have this story again!”

For all of the schoolyard romance, it will be a deadly serious business when the Spaniard and the Scot lock horns. Six times the men have met previously, with Lopez still looking for his first win.

“It is always difficult when you have a negative record against a player, but this is another chance for me to challenge Andy and play better than I did here last year,” Lopez said.

“I remember he played a great match against me at Wimbledon at a time when I was playing my best tennis having beaten Andy Roddick and some good players.”

While Murray cruised past Ivan Dodig under the lights on Wednesday, Lopez had to endure a four-and-a-quarter hour encounter against his countryman Pablo Andujar in the heat of the New York afternoon.

“I just hope to be 100 per cent,” he said. “He won pretty easily against Dodig. I only have one day to recover and hopefully it will be enough.”