British tennis is not all about Andy Murray, even though he is never far from the eye of the storm. Against Argentina in Glasgow on Saturday afternoon, it was Jamie who took the tiller to guide Great Britain to safer waters through a sudden-death doubles four-setter in this enthralling Davis Cup semi-final.
The defending champions remain on course to reach the final in November, but they will have to win both reverse singles on Sunday if they are to become only the third British team in 117 years come from 2-0 down and win.
With subtle rolling of his wrists and deft touches at the net, allied to a hawk-like awareness of where he should direct the traffic, the elder brother steadily deconstructed the part-timers, Juan Martín del Potro and Leonardo Mayer, over two hours and 54 minutes to win 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. It was a solid rather than spectacular victory.
Jamie, with a hand on his brother’s shoulder, said courtside: “For me to play with him in front of a Scottish crowd is quite emotional. It was a battle. Those guys hit it so hard form the baseline. It was hard to judge the volley.”
Against a backdrop of unstoppable cheering from the 8,000 packed into the arena, Andy observed: “It was an amazing match, great atmosphere. Yesterday was very tough. Jamie played unbelievably well throughout the match today. Still 2-1 down, which is a tough position to be in but I still think we can come back. There is not as much moving in doubles, but a lot of explosive movement. I’ll try to get through the first match and see what happens.”
Now it will be the younger, more famous but far more exhausted Murray who will be asked to consolidate the fightback in the first reverse singles, probably against Guido Pella.
Having spent over eight hours on court in the tie so far, the world No 2 will not find it easy, even against a player ranked 47 places below him. Nor is it meant to be a doddle in the upper stratosphere of the sport. He will not flinch from the task, even if he is mildly concerned about his stamina and a drop in form.
Andy Murray was not at his best, understandably so, after the longest match of his career, five hours and seven minutes, in losing to Del Potro in the first singles on Friday. So, up stepped Jamie, whose refined skill at the net was a joy to watch.
Within a quarter of an hour, Argentina were 4-0 down and had won only four of 16 points, Jamie tipping and tapping winners at the net as if swatting flies. Mayer, who struggled to put the ball in court, smashed crazily wide to hand over the first break to love. Del Potro blasted nearly as long for the second break, and the brothers were cruising.
They were breaking and holding with almost equal ease and took the set for the loss of only 12 points and one game in 26 minutes, Del Potro dumping a 118mph serve from Andy low into the net.
Jamie, playing with the sort of confidence that took him to No 1 in the world in doubles and helped him to his third slam title at the US Open this month, alongside the Brazilian Bruno Soares, provided the biggest threat with his adroit volleys and superb judgment.
It was all looking ridiculously easy until Andy followed the match’s first ace with two double faults and an overcooked forehand to hand Argentina a break in the second game of the second set.
The dynamic of doubles is so fragile and unpredictable, given there are four brains computing all the options rather than two, and, almost as quickly as they had gone behind in the first set, the Argentinians had worked their way into a 3-0 lead in the second.
A period of consolidation and struggle followed the early excitement. Jamie, serving just past the hour, saved two set points and held through deuce five times for 3-5 in the longest game of the match to that stage. Del Potro sealed the set on serve, and they had restored parity.
Argentina broke Andy for 4-3 in the third and the anxiety levels rose again. Great Britain had two break points on Mayer’s serve in the eighth game, and sealed it when his backhand bulged the net for 4-4. Argentina had 19 second serves to Britain’s 39 to that point but they could not crack the Murray boys in the ninth game. At 4-5, Del Potro served to stay in the set and hit long. Andy struck the backhand winner down the line past Mayer.
In the fourth set, it went with serve, each team saving and wasting half-chances, all the way to the 10th game, where it fell to the unsteady right arm of Mayer to keep them on court. Jamie patted away a volley and Great Britain had three match points. A finishing smash by his brother, and the job was done.
