Andy Murray has issued a thinly veiled dig at his critics by appearing to question the widespread praise received by Rafael Nadal, who battled through cramp to avoid a shock defeat at the Australian Open.
Murray appeared to suggest the acclaim for Nadal differs to the criticism he has received for similar problems, most notably at the US Open last year.
He tweeted: “When I cramped and won in the us open last year I was a “drama Queen, unfit, needs to see a shrink, faker” weird...”
When I cramped and won in the us open last year I was a "drama Queen, unfit, needs to see a shrink, faker" weird...
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) January 22, 2015
Nadal required medical treatment and took more than four hours to defeat the American Tim Smyczek on Wednesday and said: “I started to have cramps in different places. I was not in the perfect shape.”
At the US Open last August, Murray endured similar issues and in the first round required four sets to beat the Dutchman Robin Haase in the gruelling heat in New York.
The phrase “drama Queen” appears to be a direct reference to the criticism he received from Virginia Wade during the French Open in 2012. Murray was, at the time, suffering with back problems during his second-round victory over Jarkko Nieminen, which prompted the former Wimbledon champion Wade to say: “I have tremendous sympathy that his back is bad but I have more sympathy for the other guy as, honestly, you cannot play against someone who is being a drama queen.”
It was a comment that did not set well with Murray and judging by his latest tweet, is one that has not been forgotten.
Murray has been making serene progress in Melbourne and following his straights sets victory over Marinko Matosevic on Wednesday, he faces the Portuguese João Sousa in round three.
