There is something about Andy Murray’s stubbornness that resembles art. Few players have his gift for digging big holes and then climbing out of them as if he were born to do just that, simultaneously dragging his followers to the precipice of doom with him. He is in the semi-finals in Rio but by a whisker, after beating Steve Johnson 6-0, 4-6, 7-6.
“It’s been difficult in tough conditions, after great starts,” Murray said. “I was close to going out. Sometimes that can work in your favour. But you want to play a little bit better, loosen up a little bit.”
As he did against the Italian enigma Fabio Fognini on Thursday, Murray began his quarter-final against the American as if he were hitting balls for fun, blitzing the poor man to love in 25 minutes of glorious shot-making that had the patrons on Court One in raptures and threatening to inflict the ultimate humiliation on his opponent: a double bagel.
Murray hit only one unforced error in the set and Johnson had scrambled a mere six points. What could possibly go wrong?
When Murray toyed with Johnson’s compatriot, Andy Roddick, in the semi-finals at Queen’s a few years ago the Texan at least got a laugh from the crowd when he screamed, “Keep it social!” after one particularly one-sided exchange.
Johnson just scowled. He questioned legitimate calls even when they went up on the big screen after a challenge. He tugged at his hat. He glowered and sweated.
Forty minutes later they were somehow a set apiece after Johnson plainly decided being publicly embarrassed at the Olympics was not much fun.
After 31 minutes the American got on the scoreboard, breaking Murray’s serve to 30, which seemed to surprise him as much as it did everyone else. He did play one delicious drop shot but, generally, his tennis was workmanlike rather than inspired. But, unable to budge the world No22 from his lead, Murray surely allowed a flickering of memory of the Fognini comeback to crowd his thoughts. From dominance to parity in fairly quick order was not what either of them had envisaged. But the crowd loved it.
Against Fognini Murray lost five games in a row and went 0-3 down in the deciding set, yet there was no strong feeling that he would lose. He always found a way against lesser players. And here he was defending his title
Yet the Olympics can do strange things to mortals. Johnson, a steady presence on Tour rather than a feared rival, is a shorter than usual professional who still manages to serve with precision and power, and he rose to the occasion.
He broke again in the third. Calamity beckoned for the world No2. He struggled to find the right gears against a one-paced but determined foe. Murray broke back and Johnson found himself serving to stay in the tournament at 4-5. He found a killer forehand and they were level.
The Scot butchered a backhand volley at the net in the 11th game to give Johnson hope but he rallied to hold, transferring the pressure back across the net.
A barely believable running forehand up the line shocked Johnson to his blue boots. Murray pumped his fist. He looked to be enjoying what for everyone else was a gut-wrenching experience. The Prince of Perversity even smiled.
Johnson hung in, wrong-footing then passing Murray to get within a point of safety. He stretched his man on the ad side to force the tie-break and let loose an impressive yell of relief and celebration. The level rose in keeping with the tension. This had turned into a marvellous fight.
Murray aced for 3-1, his sixth of the match. Johnson served at 1-4, Murray charged the net – and watched a delightful backhand half-volley drift beyond his reach. A dreadful drop shot from the baseline put the American 2-5 down. Murray had two serves to clinch the win.
Johnson hit wide, challenged – and dropped his head when the replay came up trumps for Murray. A final smash got the job done and after two hours and 11 minutes they embraced at the net, the way it should be.In the evening, Murray and Heather Watson - who had all but had a foot on the runway the previous night heading for home, before being hurled into the mixed doubles with the Scot – could not quite get the job done in their second match, and the excellent Indian pairing of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna won 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and seven minutes to go through to the semi-finals. At least it was quick.
