The extra week between the French Open and Wimbledon this year has been well received by the top players but since most of them are still playing just one event, they have little room for manoeuvre. The grass-court season remains woefully short, which explains why Andy Murray was happy to lap up some more time on the surfaceon Wednesday as he prepares to go up another level at Queen’s Club on Thursday.
Murray takes on Fernando Verdasco in the second round of the Aegon Championships, a man he has beaten 10 times out of 11 but who almost ruined Murray’s march to the Wimbledon title two years ago when he led by two sets to love. A brilliant shot-maker, the left-handed Spaniard may not be as consistent as he was when he earned his one win over Murray, in the last 16 of the Australian Open in 2009, but he remains dangerous, with one of the biggest forehands on Tour.
Having looked solid enough in his first-round win over Lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan, Murray admitted he will need time to find his top form on grass, even though it is a surface he loves and even though Queen’s is a tournament he has won three times. His form over the past few months suggests he should be able to handle Verdasco and he sharpened up by playing doubles with Dominic Inglot against the No1 seeds here, Bruno Soares and Alexander Peya.
Their 6-4, 7-6 defeat will not have pleased either man but for Murray it was useful match practice and he should be sharper for it on Thursday. For Inglot, it was a first match in more than two months after a knee injury and a chance to put himself back in the mix for Britain’s Davis Cup quarter-final against France, back here at Queen’s the week after Wimbledon.
Having played in the win over the USA, alongside Jamie Murray, Inglot said the Davis Cup was his main goal, a brave statement considering Wimbledon is just around the corner. Britain’s captain, Leon Smith, was keen for Murray and Inglot to play together here and the big-serving Englishman knows that a good performance at Wimbledon could put him back in pole position.
“I think that position for the Davis Cup is really up for grabs,” he said, acknowledging that Colin Fleming and Jonny Marray are also in the hunt. “Because anybody can step up and if they have a good tournament it’s going to be tough for Leon to say: ‘Well, I can’t rule that guy out.’”
Nine of the 16 wildcards into the main draw of Wimbledon were announced on Wednesday, with few surprises. Five of them went to Britons, one to the 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt and another to the Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, he of the 11 hours and five minutes marathon match with John Isner in the first round in 2010. It is the 11th grand slam wildcard of Mahut’s career, another record.
James Ward, Kyle Edmund and Liam Broady were the British recipients on the men’s side while Jo Konta and Naomi Broady will go straight into the women’s draw, guaranteeing them at least a cheque for £29,000. It is a welcome payday but, having adjusted its criteria for recommending wildcards to decide each one on a case-by-case basis, the LTA hopes to see at least a few going through to round two and beyond. Laura Robson is expected to be given one of the four remaining women’s wildcards, providing she comes through her return to action in Eastbourne this weekend without aggravating the wrist injury that has kept her out of competitive action for 17 months.
