Andy Murray has joked that he needs a “health check as apparently I’ve started imagining things” after Fernando Verdasco denied he spoke to his coach during a heat break in their US Open second-round match.
The high temperatures and humidity in New York this week led tournament organisers to introduce a new rule permitting a 10-minute break between the third and fourth sets during men's matches.
Players are not allowed to talk to their coaches, which is exactly what Murray said he saw Verdasco doing after finishing a cold shower.
Verdasco flatly denied any such rule breach had taken place, claiming that while his coach was in the locker room, he spoke only to another player, Marcos Baghdatis, and the Cypriot's coach.
Verdasco said: “Obviously if Andy says that, I don't want to say that he lies, but I didn't talk one word with my coach or any one member of my team. I know exactly the rule and I don't want to be the one breaking it.”
Murray reported Verdasco for the apparent rule breach and later posted a response to the Spaniard on Instagram, which included the hashtag “liar liar pants on fire”.
Murray wrote: “Bye bye New York. Was nice to be back out there competing in a slam again. Gave it my best effort but it wasn’t enough. Thanks to everyone for the support and messages last few days.
“I’m off to get a health check as apparently I’ve started imagining things. #liarliarpantsonfire”
Discussing the matter after Verdasco's 7-5 2-6 6-4 6-4 victory, Murray said: “I went and told the supervisor. I said, 'What are you guys doing? I mean, there's clear rules here and you're allowing this to take place. I don't get it.'
“Then he ran through, 'Oh, you're not allowed to speak.' They obviously weren't in there for long, but you've got to do better than that. This is one of the biggest events in the world.”
Nick Kyrgios, who has history with Verdasco, also weighed in on the debate, saying of the coaching accusations on Twitter: “Let's be real, very believable because it is Verdasco lol.”
