Andy Murray ought to be concerned, but not to the point of despair, after a skittish opening to his Wimbledon campaign. He goes through to the second round against Robin Haase on Thursday at least mildly gingered up after struggling midway through his straight sets win over the 59th-ranked Mikhail Kukushkin on Centre Court on Tuesday.
Murray, who has been in splendid form all summer, on clay and grass, spent almost twice as long on court as Roger Federer did in his far easier win over the Bosnian Damir Dzumhur.
While Murray expressed no interest in the Federer match, the comparison is relevant in terms of where each of them is placed after the first round of a tournament that may bring them together in the semi-final. Federer was pretty much faultless against an opponent he also destroyed at Roland Garros three weeks ago; Murray was less convincing against an opponent with whom he shares the distinction of being coached by a woman and who played with the freedom of an acknowledged outsider.
Still, beating an out-and-out shot-maker like Kukushkin 6-4, 7-6, 6-4 in two hours and 11 minutes, while lacing his performance with some breathtaking ground strokes and delightful dinks near the net, told Murray he should not be rushing back to his psychiatrist just yet.
He did come perilously close to blowing a 5-2 lead in the second set as his serve disintegrated for no apparent reason and he acknowledged that it is an area of his game he needs to address before playing Haase.
Murray did play some terrific tennis against Kukushkin, which was reciprocated in several dazzling exchanges in the first and third sets, but that dip in the second disturbed his equilibrium.
“I made it hard for myself at the end of the second set,” he said. “Then he started playing some very aggressive tennis, low over the net. Towards the end of it, I missed 10 or 11 first serves in a row. I wasn’t surprised [by Kukushkin’s occasionally high level].
“I’ve seen some of his results in big matches. He’s a tough opponent when he goes for his shots. Credit to him … but there’s definitely work to be done.”
From the beginning, Kukushkin was not shy in the shot and hit some of his forehands with rasping power at the lines to stay on level terms in the opening exchanges and for much of the second set.
The 11th game of that session was an odd one. Murray double-faulted, aced, made a lousy challenge and then watched a Kukushkin return skim the white lines. Kukushkin then lost focus entirely as Murray broke yet again to force the tie-break, and take the set. The third was a more comfortable ride for Murray, who looked relieved at the end.
Haase, who has lost to Murray in three of their four encounters, took two hours and 22 minutes to beat Alejandro Falla 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Court Seven, and admitted he had misgivings beforehand because the Colombian has been dangerous on grass, most memorably when taking the first two sets off Federer in the first round here five years ago, before blowing match point in the fourth set. (Federer, incidentally, has not lost a set in the first round at Wimbledon since).
Haase, a couple of months younger than Murray (although they never met as juniors) and ranked 78 in the world, took a set off him in each of their matches at the US Open, but might struggle to do so on grass.
“Last time I played him in New York, I don’t know exactly what happened,” Murray said. “But I had terrible cramps from very early on in the match. It was a very tough match for me to get through. He’s a tough opponent, likes grass, enjoys playing on big courts.”
Murray said he was glad to be back on a court where he has seen more good days than bad. “It’s a great court. I’ve had some of my best matches on there. It doesn’t happen at all of the events from where the first day it’s a packed crowd from start to finish. It’s always nice to play in front of that sort of crowd.”
From the reaction to his victory, the feeling would seem to be mutual. It’s a little while now since any comedian has felt the urge to yell, “Come on, Tim!” during one of Murray’s matches (although if they read this, that may change). There is a genuine empathy between him and tennis fans, wherever they come from, and the suggestion in other parts of the media forest recently that his support for Scottish independence was something of a “public relations disaster” would seem to have lost traction.
At 28, Murray is not only a matured and distinguished athlete, he is operating at the height of his powers. He will not be perfect in every match, nor will he avoid defeat now and again but a feature of his flawed victory was his ability to overcome the frustration of losing his way and powering on to the right result.
As John McEnroe, the three-time Wimbledon champion, said afterwards: “I don’t think the result was ever in doubt.”
