NERVY NOVAK
Serb through despite errors
After a weekend of hospital visits, Andy Murray was today trying to block out the distractions that have affected him at the Australian Open and make his way through to the last eight.
there was, at least, good news about his father-in-law Nigel Sears, who was given the all-clear to fly home after collapsing during the match of the player he coaches, Ana Ivanovic, on Saturday night.
And, on a less profound level, he should also have been buoyed by the shaky form that Novak Djokovic will be carrying into his quarterfinal against Japan’s Kei Nishikori.
the supposedly impregnable world No 1 threw in an official total of 100 unforced errors before he finally overcame frenchman Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-7, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in four hours and 32 minutes.
Murray’s preparation for this morning’s fourth meeting with Australia’s world No 17 Bernard tomic involved going to the hospital both on Saturday night and yesterday morning. Happily, after undergoing extensive tests, Sears was released and should be back in the UK in the next few days. Beyond a cheery ‘good afternoon’, Murray was keeping his own counsel as he slightly delayed his practice session ahead of playing the last remaining home player in the men’s singles.
Already at the forefront of his mind is wife Kim, who is expecting their first child in the next few weeks, so he has been preoccupied enough already without the on-court threat of the mercurial tomic.
Jo Konta was due to play earlier than him this morning, trying to become the first British woman since 1984 to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final when she faced 21st seed ekaterina Makarova.
In the event of both Murray (below) and Konta winning, it would be the first time since John Lloyd, robin Drysdale and Sue Barker at the 1977 Australian Open that GB would have a man and woman in the last eight of a Grand Slam.
Meanwhile Sears, known in the tennis world for keeping himself in excellent physical shape, offered his thanks to medical staff who cared for him.
‘I have been cleared to fly back to the UK in the next day or so,’ he said. ‘I just wanted to express my sincerest thanks to the incredible people who came to my aid, as well as the brilliant staff both at the Australian Open and the epworth Hospital. I feel truly grateful to everyone involved for the manner in which this has been handled.’
the whole field will take heart from the struggle of Djokovic, who until yesterday had seamlessly carried through his form from 2015, which he finished with an 82-5 record.
He often looked short of energy against the nimble but marginally underpowered world No 15 Simon, who runs down every ball and can always exploit a superior opponent having an off day. Djokovic acknowledged that he will have to play better versus the seventh seed from Japan, the player against whom he put in one of his worst Grand Slam performances when he lost in the semi-final of the 2014 US Open. Yet there are also instances of the Serb rebounding from tight fourth-round victories and then powering through the second week of Grand Slam tournaments.
A good example is last summer’s Wimbledon, where he only just about overcame towering South African Kevin Anderson in five, before going full steam ahead for the title.
the difference this time his next opponent is supremely talented ball-striker Nishikori, who is likely to play better than Marin Cilic did in the last eight at the All england Club.
Nishikori takes the ball early and moves opponents around, and, while his own fitness can be suspect, he could prove very awkward if he shows the kind of form that saw him comfortably put away Jo-Wilfried tsonga in the fourth round.
‘I will certainly need to make less unforced errors,’ said Djokovic after defeating Simon.
true enough, although the unforced error count is somewhat subjective, being at the discretion of the statistics compiler.
Simon said he had a simple plan, which appeared to be get every ball back.
He was disappointed because he thought he was the better player in the third set, which he lost.
‘Sometimes I feel the players, they are not always trying their best when they play against Novak,’ he said.
‘I try and see them all as humans. I don’t fear them.
‘A lot of players want me to win this match, they want him out of the draw.’
Djokovic also confirmed that there were no physical problems afflicting him. Asked about people in the locker room wanting him to lose, he replied: ‘Which one are you talking about? I’m very popular in the women’s locker room.’
roger federer is on course to play Djokovic in the semi-finals if he beats perennial nearly man tomas Berdych in the quarters.