Murray faces rising star with surf dude look
NEW BALLS PLEASE! ANDY GETS HIT WHERE IT HURTS
ANDY MURRAY will face the potential future of tennis in the Australian Open while his GB opposite number, Jo Konta, is up against its decorated past.
Alex Zverev, a son of Hamburg with the countenance of a Californian surf dude, is nearly 17 years the junior of Venus Williams, 35, who is the opponent for Konta in one of the picks from the first-round draw.
There are good judges who feel that Zverev — who is playing Murray on Tuesday — might one day win Wimbledon, and among those helping him try to do that is someone who was at Murray’s side when he triumphed there in 2013. Fitness trainer Jez Green, from Cheshire, was a key figure in turning the Scot into a super-athlete and now he has been charged with doing the same for Zverev, who still needs to grow into his near 6ft 6in frame.
Green left the Scot’s employment in 2014 along with coach Dani Vallverdu after disagreements about training strategies following Murray’s back surgery.
Over five sets Murray — who could face Stan Wawrinka or Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals — should be too strong for Zverev and he beat him in straight sets last week in the less stressful environment of the Hopman Cup team event.
‘He played pretty well against me and I didn’t play that well,’ Zverev (below) said yesterday. ‘But obviously it is something different to play against the No 2 in the world from what I am used to at the moment.
‘We will see but it is going to be a doubly different match because this is best-of-five, this is a Grand Slam and that was Hopman Cup.’
Konta, who has lost her first two matches of the season, came within two points of beating Williams when they met in China late last season. And, unusually for the sometimes icy world of women’s tennis, they had a hug in the locker room afterwards. ‘It was the first time I played her and she was one of the players I grew up watching. So it was definitely a different experience to where I am at now,’ said Konta of someone still ranked No 10. ‘Her career needs to be respected but obviously when you step out on court you are playing the tennis player on that day and not playing the titles she’s won.’
Konta feels she played well enough in her opening two tournament losses. ‘I don’t have much to be down about. It’s a process, it’s a long season and it’s about finding your feet,’ she said, back in the country that she left 11 years ago.
The women’s event looks extremely open, especially as defending champion Serena Williams has barely played since the US Open.
One reason it is so hard to call is that the top female players have little current form after treating the pre-Australian Open events with contempt. Most of the top 10 made late withdrawals for ‘precautionary’ reasons to save themselves for the season’s first Grand Slam.
Venus played in Auckland last week and lost in the first round, complaining of a heavy cold, but at least she fulfilled her commitment to play.
Not that the men have been immune from letting tournaments down. Australian No 1 Bernard Tomic, potentially a difficult fourthround opponent for Murray, was yesterday caught on camera telling umpire Mohamed Lahyani during his quarter-final at the Sydney International that he had a good draw in Melbourne. He suggested he did not want to waste any more time before heading here to prepare, then pulled out midway through the second set. And sometimes they wonder why sponsors can prove hard to find. Murray’s draw is not the worst, with what should be a relatively comfortable first week and the prospect of Spanish veteran David Ferrer in the quarter-finals. No draw looks difficult for five-time champion Novak Djokovic, even with Roger Federer in his half.
The other three British players guaranteed a place in the main draw all have a chance of progress. Aljaz Bedene, recovered from a heavy fall in Auckland this week, plays world No 32 Steve Johnson.
Kyle Edmund is up against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, ranked seven places higher at 81, while Heather Watson is easily capable of beating Hungary’s Timea Babos, the world No 59.
Dan Evans was due to play his final qualifying round overnight, against 22-year-old American Bjorn Fratangelo.