This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jun/12/andy-murray-radek-stepanek-defeat-queens
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Andy Murray suffers shock defeat to Radek Stepanek at Queen’s | Andy Murray suffers shock defeat to Radek Stepanek at Queen’s |
| (2 months later) | |
| It will come as little comfort to Andy Murray that 10 days before he begins an historic defence of his Wimbledon title he should lose to the world No42 Radek Stepanek in straight sets at Queens, where he was king, just as Rafael Nadal was bowing out on the grass of Halle to the world No85 Dustin Brown. | |
| Schadenfreude exists in tennis, but so does cold, hard calculus. And neither the world No1, Nadal, nor the world No5, Murray, will figure that these defeats against big-serving opponents who are always dangerous on grass represent season-wrecking setbacks. | Schadenfreude exists in tennis, but so does cold, hard calculus. And neither the world No1, Nadal, nor the world No5, Murray, will figure that these defeats against big-serving opponents who are always dangerous on grass represent season-wrecking setbacks. |
| What might concern them is the regularity with which such shock results are spreading across the Tour. Nadal, supreme on clay and coming off his ninth French Open triumph, will probably have struggled more to accept losing 6-4, 6-1 to Brown, the lowest-ranked player to beat a world No1 since No98 Mardy Fish upset Roger Federer at Indian Wells in 2008. That’s not the sort of history Nadal wants to be making. | What might concern them is the regularity with which such shock results are spreading across the Tour. Nadal, supreme on clay and coming off his ninth French Open triumph, will probably have struggled more to accept losing 6-4, 6-1 to Brown, the lowest-ranked player to beat a world No1 since No98 Mardy Fish upset Roger Federer at Indian Wells in 2008. That’s not the sort of history Nadal wants to be making. |
| Murray was not altogether ecstatic that the steady Stepanek, eight years older than him and eight years on from his days in the top 10, was able to put 11 aces past him (all but two of them down the T) on his way to winning 7-6, 6-2 in just under two hours. | Murray was not altogether ecstatic that the steady Stepanek, eight years older than him and eight years on from his days in the top 10, was able to put 11 aces past him (all but two of them down the T) on his way to winning 7-6, 6-2 in just under two hours. |
| While Stepanek goes through to the quarter-finals against the dangerous South African Kevin Anderson – who earlier on Thursday took out the Russian serve-and-volley specialist, Sergiy Stakhovsky, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 – Murray retreats to the comfort of his Surrey mansion to rest for a few days before resuming training next week with his new coach, Amélie Mauresmo. The French Fed Cup captain was as impassive in her own way courtside when Murray’s game slowly disintegrated in the second set as Ivan Lendl had been during the Scot’s remarkable two years with Old Stone Face, on good days and bad. | While Stepanek goes through to the quarter-finals against the dangerous South African Kevin Anderson – who earlier on Thursday took out the Russian serve-and-volley specialist, Sergiy Stakhovsky, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 – Murray retreats to the comfort of his Surrey mansion to rest for a few days before resuming training next week with his new coach, Amélie Mauresmo. The French Fed Cup captain was as impassive in her own way courtside when Murray’s game slowly disintegrated in the second set as Ivan Lendl had been during the Scot’s remarkable two years with Old Stone Face, on good days and bad. |
| What was markedly different was Murray’s demeanour. Gone was the edginess, replaced by calm that bordered on torpor on a gorgeous summer’s day amid the clinking of Pimm’s glasses on the terraces of the poshest tennis club in this or any other land. He seemed to lack zip and urgency, and will strive to rediscover those qualities at Wimbledon where expectations – his own and the nation’s – will be stratospheric. | What was markedly different was Murray’s demeanour. Gone was the edginess, replaced by calm that bordered on torpor on a gorgeous summer’s day amid the clinking of Pimm’s glasses on the terraces of the poshest tennis club in this or any other land. He seemed to lack zip and urgency, and will strive to rediscover those qualities at Wimbledon where expectations – his own and the nation’s – will be stratospheric. |
| Last year, he sandwiched his greatest achievement between his back collapsing in Rome, forcing his absence from Roland Garros, and a back operation in September. This year, the scenario could not be more different. | Last year, he sandwiched his greatest achievement between his back collapsing in Rome, forcing his absence from Roland Garros, and a back operation in September. This year, the scenario could not be more different. |
| “This year I played a lot of matches the last couple of weeks at the French Open,” he said, “whereas coming in last year I probably had about a week, 10 days’ preparation on the grass before I started here. On Sunday I’ll be back here for the charity match, then I will start practising on Sunday evening.” The Rally for Bally will raise money for cancer charities after the death of Elena Baltacha. | “This year I played a lot of matches the last couple of weeks at the French Open,” he said, “whereas coming in last year I probably had about a week, 10 days’ preparation on the grass before I started here. On Sunday I’ll be back here for the charity match, then I will start practising on Sunday evening.” The Rally for Bally will raise money for cancer charities after the death of Elena Baltacha. |
| Murray has signed Mauresmo for the short grass season, with a view to extending the relationship to their mutual satisfaction after further negotiations, and he hinted again that he will welcome what he perceives to be her more considerate regime. | Murray has signed Mauresmo for the short grass season, with a view to extending the relationship to their mutual satisfaction after further negotiations, and he hinted again that he will welcome what he perceives to be her more considerate regime. |
| “We spoke before the start of the tournament,” he said, “and I was going to have a few days off as soon as I was finished here, whether I won the tournament or not. So in some ways [the loss] can be good, providing I use next week properly.” | “We spoke before the start of the tournament,” he said, “and I was going to have a few days off as soon as I was finished here, whether I won the tournament or not. So in some ways [the loss] can be good, providing I use next week properly.” |
| Neither of them will have been pleased, however, with the way Murray failed to cash in on a 6-2 lead in the tie-break, nor the lack of penetration in his serve, which faltered five times for a free point to Stepanek, as well as his inability to get forward against the aggressive Czech. | Neither of them will have been pleased, however, with the way Murray failed to cash in on a 6-2 lead in the tie-break, nor the lack of penetration in his serve, which faltered five times for a free point to Stepanek, as well as his inability to get forward against the aggressive Czech. |
| “When you serve on grass the first ball that comes back stays a lot lower,” said Murray. | “When you serve on grass the first ball that comes back stays a lot lower,” said Murray. |
| “You need to use your legs a lot better, you need to stay down on the court more. On the clay courts the ball comes up around your shoulders so you use your legs in a very different way. I was a little bit upright on the court at times today, especially when I was rushed.” | “You need to use your legs a lot better, you need to stay down on the court more. On the clay courts the ball comes up around your shoulders so you use your legs in a very different way. I was a little bit upright on the court at times today, especially when I was rushed.” |
| Mauresmo is unlikely to play nurse to Murray, though. Nor will the Frenchwoman drive him where he doesn’t want to go. And that, it transpires, includes mowing the lawn. | Mauresmo is unlikely to play nurse to Murray, though. Nor will the Frenchwoman drive him where he doesn’t want to go. And that, it transpires, includes mowing the lawn. |
| Murray said on Thursday he would not be using any of his down time to clip the lawns at his substantial property in Oxshott – and also revealed: “Actually I have never done it in my life.” Greenkeeping, then, has yet to appear on the horizon as a post-tennis career. | Murray said on Thursday he would not be using any of his down time to clip the lawns at his substantial property in Oxshott – and also revealed: “Actually I have never done it in my life.” Greenkeeping, then, has yet to appear on the horizon as a post-tennis career. |