PARIS — Andy Murray suffered a first-round exit on the French Open as he fell to an impressed Stan Wawrinka in straight units on Sunday evening.
The 2 have three Grand Slams apiece, however on this battle of the veterans with a mixed age of 76, it was Wawrinka who got here out on prime, profitable 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in 2 hours, 19 minutes.
“Disenchanted, it was all the time going to be robust, a tricky match,” Murray mentioned. “Stan has performed sensible tennis on that court docket and I used to be anticipating him to play very properly tonight and he gave me few alternatives. I want I may’ve performed a bit higher — dissatisfied, however I did not have extraordinarily excessive expectations given the way in which the preparation went coming into it.
“Bodily, tennis just isn’t straightforward for me nowadays. It is laborious, and clay has been a floor for the reason that starting of my profession, I’ve had again points on the clay, and it is one thing I am used to.”
It was a tennis match extra resembling a heavyweight struggle as the 2 exchanged highly effective groundstrokes with the odd drop shot breaking issues up because the duo defied age to maintain a packed crowd enthralled. However it was Wawrinka, 39, who prevailed, reserving his spot within the second spherical.
Wawrinka was largely in command of the proceedings, his backhand on level as he moved Murray round Court docket Philippe-Chatrier. He acquired nearly all of backing from the French crowd, a favorite in these elements after he gained the event in 2015.
Wawrinka mentioned afterward of Murray: “It was emotional for positive; we’re getting nearer to the top. We performed so many occasions within the final 20 years. He is an incredible man. Superb participant and such a giant fighter. We’ve got a variety of respect for one another.
“I believe I performed my greatest match of the yr. I used to be taking part in aggressive, and I am tremendous pleased with the efficiency.”
For Murray, 37, this was all the time a free hit. This was simply his second go to to Roland Garros in singles up to now seven years — his greatest return right here in Paris right here was reaching the 2016 closing, the place he misplaced to Novak Djokovic. However eight years on, it was Wawrinka — who gained the title right here in 2015 — who stopped him in his tracks within the opening spherical.
That is broadly anticipated to be Murray’s closing yr on tour, having mentioned again in February he’s not meaning to “play a lot previous this summer season,” a timeframe that features one other crack on the Olympics in Paris in August. However similar to Rafael Nadal, Murray has not confirmed this can positively be his closing French Open.
There have been doubts whether or not Murray was going to be slot in time for Roland Garros after he ruptured ankle ligaments on the Miami Open in March. On the time, conservative estimates put his restoration time at something between 10 and 12 weeks, inserting unsure the possibilities of him making the French Open and Wimbledon.
However the harm healed faster than anticipated and he ended up lacking six weeks of competitors. Throughout that spell, he used that point to weigh up a change of racket. He examined 10 completely different choices that he bought in Florida and opted to maneuver away from the Head rackets he has used by his profession and switched to a Yonex Ezone 100 racket, one providing extra energy.
Murray competed at a challenger occasion in Bordeaux in mid-Might and misplaced within the second spherical to Gregoire Barrere. He additionally competed on the Geneva Open however misplaced within the first spherical to Yannick Hanfmann. So it was with a 1-2 report on clay he headed into the French Open, the place he was drawn with previous foe Wawrinka.
The 2 know one another properly, and as a result of Murray’s sporadic attendance on the French Open lately as he managed harm and health, his final two matches at Roland Garros had been each in opposition to Wawrinka. The 2 met within the 2017 semifinal — a match Wawrinka gained 6-7 (6), 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-1 — after which once more within the first spherical in 2020, the place Wawrinka gained in straight units.
Murray held an total 13-9 report in opposition to Wawrinka, however it was the veteran Swiss who began higher, breaking Murray’s serve within the opening sport, changing a 3rd break level.
Murray didn’t benefit from a break level within the fourth, battling it out with highly effective groundstrokes from the baseline. Wawrinka saved a break level within the fourth sport and continued to maneuver Murray round mixing issues up. Within the sixth sport, he hit the one-two punch of a drop-shot winner then a shocking backhand down the road within the subsequent level.
Murray then managed to save lots of three break factors within the seventh, whereas additionally referring a distraction within the crowd to the umpire, to carry serve. The 2 continued slogging it out, Murray saving two set factors within the tenth, just for Wawrinka to shut that set out 6-4 in 53 minutes.
The second set was a lot the identical. Because the temperature dipped — these within the courtside seats wrapping themselves in blankets — Wawrinka continued dictating the tempo of the match, breaking Murray to go 2-1 up within the second set. Murray battled, trying to break serve whereas holding his personal — stringing collectively an excellent number of photographs to win the seventh — however he was unable to get a foothold again within the set, with Wawrinka taking the second 6-4.
The beginning of the third was delayed as Wawrinka took a medical timeout. All of the whereas, Murray paced the baseline, making an attempt to maintain heat. However Wawrinka confirmed no in poor health results, breaking Murray within the first sport of the third with a whipped backhand down the road. Wawrinka held serve after which punished Murray’s serve once more within the third, profitable the second of three break factors to take a 3-0 lead. Murray clawed a few video games again, however he could not get a deal with on Wawrinka’s serve, because the Swiss took the third set 6-2 and the match with brutal effectivity.
For Murray, this is not the top of his time at Roland Garros this fortnight, as he’ll play within the males’s doubles alongside fellow Brit Dan Evans.
Wawrinka’s subsequent step within the males’s singles will see him play the winner of Monday’s match between Cameron Norrie and Pavel Kotov.