Andy Murray had outplayed his 3rd round opponent
Andreas Seppi for over an hour on Wimbledon’s middle Saturday, he’d served
better, returned better and ultimately competed better as he appeared to be
cruising through to the tournament’s second week.
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| Murray recovers after dropping the third set to Andres Seppi |
The first two sets had gone in a flash, both claimed by
Murray 6 games to 2 and both as convincing as the score-line suggests. Pound
for pound, shot for shot the Brit’s game was superior in all departments, yet within
the blink of an eye and a call for the trainer the Italian had the third set in
his pocket and led by a break of serve in the fourth. It was a stern reminder
that the biggest battles, in this sport in particular, often occur in the mind.
Seppi appeared down and out when he trailed by two sets and
was scraping through his service games in the third. He was within his rights
and the rules to take 3 minute medical time out to receive treatment on a
claimed shin injury, yet this was clearly a momentous moment in the match.
Seppi’s time with the trainer certainly helped as he won the
next six games, the only evident pain now came from Murray’s side of the net as
he began to clutch his right shoulder. But fear not Murray fans the magic
trainer was still on hand, only this time in the Brit’s corner as he received a
time out of his own.
He returned from the side lines a man reformed, and like an
animal in danger his instinct kicked in. At his pumped up and vocal best,
Murray roared his way through the next six games just as Seppi had done in the
previous set. With that run came the set and the match, the 6-2 6-2 1-6 6-1 victory
sends him through to a fourth round meeting with the big serving Croatian Ivo
Karlovic.
Many took to social media to express their light hearted
reactions , which came along the lines of “anyone got that physio’s number” and “I’ll
have what he’s got” The time out system and toilet breaks may not be the greyest
area in tennis right now, compared to the vague rule about the time players
take in between points, however it will continue to divide opinions.
Neither Murray nor Seppi appeared to be holding any grudges
towards one another though, and both were all smiles as they engaged in a
friendly handshake at the end of the match.
If it wasn’t for the mid-match dramas, a few sloppy errors
and some inspired play from Seppi this could have been the perfect display if
such a thing exists. The main thing is that Murray is through to the second week
for the eighth time in his career, an early test could even work in his favour.
Murray will now have a day off before he takes on Karlovic
on Monday after the Croatian defeated Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in four sets. No doubt
that will be a completely different challenge to the one posed by Seppi,
Karlovic served 41 aces in his third round match and predictably rallies will
be kept to a minimum.
The good news for Murray fans if he does manage to strike
down the 6 ft 11 giant is that for the majority of this match he was as his
instinctive best. He was striking the ball cleanly and moving with ease. He’s
not the only one, Roger Federer was equally impressive earlier in the day when
he defeated Australian Sam Groth in four sets, and Novak Djokovic also looks in
fine nick and is yet to drop a set.
Murray will be alone in the second week as his British
compatriot and Davis cup team mate James Ward lost the tightest of encounters with Canada’s
Vasek Pospisil which finished 8-6 in the fifth set. The biggest story of the
day came in the women’s draw as defending champion Petra Kvitova crashed out at
the hands of Serb Jelena Jankovic.
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