Andy has a winning way with the ladies
THiRTy-Six days after rolling around on a clay court in the joyous celebration of winning the Davis Cup, Andy Murray was back again yesterday and leading Great Britain to victory.
This time it was in the rather less febrile environment of the opening group match at the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia, which saw him and Heather Watson defeat France 2-1.
Watched by his mother, who is temporarily coaching GB women’s No 2, Murray and Watson defeated Kenny de Schepper and Caroline Garcia 6-2, 5-7, 10-6 in the deciding mixed doubles to clinch the match.
Earlier Judy Murray, in her role as GB Fed Cup captain, had announced she was including Laura Robson and 16-year-old Katie Swan in the squad for their Euro Africa Zone matches next month.
Murray had looked sharp in defeating de Schepper 6-2, 6-2 in the opening singles before Watson went down 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to the talented Garcia, who the Scot once tipped as a future world No 1.
‘ i played well, everything was working pretty good and i was able to finish a lot of the points at the net,’ said Murray, for who this is his main Australian Open preparation.
‘it’s quite a quick surface so, if you get the first strike in, it’s easy to stay on top in the rallies.’
He is in full training mode alongside preparing for his matches this week.
Watson teased afterwards that Murray — who lost his serve in the second set of the mixed rubber — is ‘a ladies’ man’, because he gets on well with many women in tennis and is the only top man to have a female coach, Amelie Mauresmo.
‘i have always found it easy to communicate with women,’ agreed the Scot, who added that he found it much more relaxing playing alongside Watson than his brother Jamie, with whom he helped win the Davis Cup.
Tomorrow they play the Australia Gold team featuring Nick Kyrgios, one of two outfits representing the host nation, which somewhat emphasises that this week-long event is not on a par with t he competition won in l ate November against Belgium.
Judy named a squad of si x to represent Britain in israel in February, which will see another attempt to get out from the notoriously tough Euro Africa Zone in the female equivalent of the Davis Cup.
Only two nations qualify out of 11 for the World Group stages, and this time the team will be led by new national No 1 Jo Konta.
But it is the inclusion of Robson and exciting prospect Swan that is the most eye- catching, with six of them pared down to four ahead by the end of the month.
it is confirmation that Robson, currently ranked outside the top 500, is close to returning to action after so many problems with her wrist.
She is also down as an alternate for a $25,000 event in Wesley Chapel, Florida, that begins in two weeks.
Swan, the Kansas-based junior from Bristol, is by some distance the country’s l eading youngster at present and last year reached the Australian Open final at just 15.
GB Fed Cup squad; J Konta, H Watson, A Smith, J Rae, L Robson, K Swan.