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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Jacob Steinberg (then) and Gregg Bakowski (now)

French Open 2016: Rafael Nadal pulls out with wrist injury – as it happened

Rafael Nadal, with his left wrist in a cast, announces during a press conference that he is withdrawing from the French Open.
Rafael Nadal, with his left wrist in a cast, announces during a press conference that he is withdrawing from the French Open. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Right, well that’s all from me. But I’ll leave you with our story of the day: Rafa Nadal is out of the French Open due to a wrist injury. Sad news. Bye.

Nishikori beats Verdasco 6-3 6-4 3-6 2-6 6-4!

What a match. One that Gasquet will be happy to watch the highlights of to see just how much energy Nishikori had to expend to see off his opponent. Gasquet faces Nishikori in the fourth round. He’ll have the fresher quads for sure given that Kyrgios put up such a feeble fight in their match earlier.

The fifth seed, Nishikori, looks like he is finally going to overcome the wily Spaniard Verdasco after a ding-dong battle on Court 1. He’s 5-3 up and serving for the match.

Radwanska has been taken to a third set by the 30th seed Strycova, who showed she has a bit of gumption about her by taking the second-set tie-break 8-6. So that match goes on. Meanwhile on Court 1 …

Gasquet beats Kyrgios 6-2 7-6 6-2!

There is a very good player hidden among the jumble of emotions inside Nick Kyrgios’s head. But the jumble of emotions haven’t let that player out this afternoon, save for a few glimpses. He played this match like he was on a one-way road to defeat from the start. Gasquet, the ninth seed, is through to the fourth round after keeping his head and playing calm, considered tennis while his opponent appeared to be playing two matches: one against himself and one against Gasquet. That’s not a good approach if you want to succeed.

Updated

Ah, Kygios looks like he wants to get out of here, quick sharp. He slams a forehand long with a wild, petulant swipe to hand Gasquet a second break and a 5-2 lead. He could get a flight out of Charles de Gaulle this evening if he properly throws it away in this next game. Pity, this match had promise and has delivered little apart from a mildly interesting end second set.

Verdasco has battled back to take his match against the fifth seed, Nishikori, to a fifth set. It’s 2-2 at present. Can Kyrgios engineer a similar revival? Probably not. He tries to, rallying himself to win a break point amid jeers ad catcalls aimed at the Australian on Philippe-Chatrier Court, but Gasquet battles back and takes a 4-2 lead.

Kyrgios, shoulders slumped and grumbling away to himself, looks to be heading out of the French Open. He’s 3-2 down and a break down in the third set against Gasquet. He doesn’t have the mental equipment to reset himself does he?

Is this the beginning of the end for Nadal and Federer? With neither of them able to hold their bodies together for the French Open it does feel like a great era is a little closer to drawing to a close. It makes Djokovic’s side of the draw look a lot nicer from the Serbian’s point of view too.

Updated

Well, from one disappointed tennis player to another. Nick Kyrgios trails Richard Gasquet 2-1 in the third set. Having fought so hard but failed to get back into the match in the previous set the fiery Australian’s got the face on. He’s just told his brother to get out of his box once more. And his brother has duly done one. Perhaps they have a Noel-Liam type fractious relationship. You can guess which one’s Liam can’t you?

Updated

Rafa Nadal retires from the tournament!

Big news here from Rafael Nadal:

I arrive here with a little pit of pain but something that I was able to manage. We tried to manage it. I hand an injection in the wrist yesterday but this morning I could not move the wrist. It is not broken but if I continue to play it will be broken. We tried our best, we took risks. Roland Garros is an important tournament for me. To win the tournament I need five more matches. The doctor says it is not 100% possible because it will be broken. There is no chance I can even practise today. It’s a very bad decision for me but that’s part of life. I will try to be back as soon as possible.”

Nadal tries to put a brave face on it but what dreadful news for Nadal and the tournament. he spoke about a damaged tendon so when he said it would be broken I don’t think he was talking about a bone but his wrist in general and the fact it was shot.

Updated

Gasquet wins the second set! What a wonderful tie-break. Kyrgios has a set point but can’t take it, overcooking a forehand to let Gasquet back in. Then the match swings the way of the Frenchman, who brings up two set points, taking the second. Kyrgios is roundly booed as he grumbles to himself as he trudges away to his seat.

Updated

It’s a mighty tight start, 3-3 and a change of ends … before a wonderful point in which Gasquet plays a backhand that Kygios somehow manages to claw back, showing incredible athleticism before they trade volleys at the net like doubles players. Kyrgios shows the greater hand-speed and finally buries the point to hearty cheers. Kygios leads 4-3.

The second set between Kyrgios and Gasquet has gone to a tie-break after a highly entertaining game in which Gasquet and Kyrgios traded some wonderfully crafted shots before the Australian finally took the game to level at 6-6. Here we go then …

The second seed Agnieszka Radwanska is cruising on Suzanne-Lenglen Court. She took the first set against 30th seed Barbora Strycova 6-2 and is leading the second set 3-1. She’ll be done and dusted in little time.

Gasquet has to dig deep to get himself free of trouble again as Kyrgios puts him under intense pressure. The Frenchman appears to be there for the taking as the man with the coolest of heads double-faults and allows Kyrgios to get level at 30-30 and then nip into a 40-30 lead. He can’t take the break point and Gasquet takes recovers to lead 6-5. Kyrgios starts grumbling about someone talking too loudly in his box. He doesn’t have a coach so who knows who it is who’s bothering him. Apparently he shouted: “Get out of my box!” at someone. Maybe someone’s gatecrashing.

Kyrgios takes little time to level the set at 5-5, thus saving his energy for another crack at Gasquet’s serve.

Kyrgios pulls out a wonderful forehand to bring up a break point. Yes, a break point. It’s a rip-roaring shot around the post that lands flush on the line. The crowd roar their approval and then get behind their man, Gasquet, who is under pressure. He reacts and fights his way back to hold. Kyrgios flicks an irritated hand in the direction of the box, or some spectators or whoever it is who has got him miffed this time. He’s a funny one, I’ll give him that. He’d get angry if you lent him a tenner and wished him well. 5-4 to Gasquet in the second set.

Updated

The tightest of opening sets on Court 2 went the way of big John Isner. He took the tie-break 9-7 and the first set. What force is being put on your groins when you’re 6ft 10in and sliding around a clay-court? Surely at that height you feel it more than a smaller player.

Gasquet takes a 4-3 lead and Kyrgios is forced to raise his game. He does, finding his forehand when he needs it and winning at 40-30 after Gasquet wafted his racquet at a second-serve and put it into the net. It’s 4-4.

Another match that is dashing along at a fair pace is that between Svetlana Kuznetsova, the Russian 13th seed, and her compatriot and 24th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who is putting up the meekest of fights. Kuznetsova took the first set 6-1. She isn’t hanging around on Court 3.

It’s now Kyrgios’s turn to win a game with minimun fuss. This is a clay-court match lads. It’s supposed to be slooooooow. It’s 3-3.

Gasquet holds without breaking sweat. Kyrgios barely got a return back in that last game. 3-2 to the Frenchman. Meanwhile, the 15th seed John Isner has been taken to a tie-break in the first set against the unseeded Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili.

Kyrgios has still got a face on. But the moody so and so is improving. Gasquet connects with the sweetest of backhands to bring up deuce. A lazy drop-shot from Kyrgios puts unnecessary pressure on himself and gives his opponent a chance to break. A chance the Frenchman doesn’t take, hitting a forehand into the top of the net and out. The Australian is found wanting again on his backhand but he locates his missing mojo again and a lovely forehand sets up game point. This is threatening to turn into a match.

Kyrgios is hitting his backhand with a little more zip now so perhaps his left shoulder is on the mend now. Gasquet is still the dominant force, however, using his intelligence to take the sting out of his rejuvenated opponent and easing to a 2-1 lead.

Over on Court 1 the men’s fifth seed, Kei Nishikori, leads Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-4 but the Spaniard is a break up and 3-1 up in the third set, so there may be a little life left in that match after all.

Kyrgios turns it on, racing into the net to defend brilliantly and save a break point with an angled volley. That gets the blood pumping and he suddenly has a little more fire in his belly. A couple of long Gasquet forehands bring the Australian level at 1-1. The crowd seem happy about that, despite their loyalties lying with Gasquet. I suppose they want this to be a proper match. Maybe it will be.

The good news is that Kyrgios has returned for the second set having decided that his left shoulder is not giving him enough bother for him to throw the towel in. His mood isn’t any brighter, mind. There’s a little cloud following him around Philippe Chatrier Court. Much like the one hovering over Roland Garros that is threatening to rain. Gasquet holds comfortably to take a 1-0 lead in the second set.

Here’s Kevin Mitchell’s report from Murray’s victory over Karlovic.

Kyrgios struggles on his double-handed backhand, slamming one into the net and then another way over the far line to give Gasquet a set point. The Australian fights back to deuce and then gives Gasquet another set point. He saves with a lovely little drop shot but lets the Frenchman in again. And again. Finally Gasquet wins the set as Kyrgios overjuices a forehand. Smash! And there goes the Australian’s racquet. Crumpled against his chair.

Hello world. Gregg here. Well, Kyrgios managed to pull a game back against Gasquet but his left shoulder is causing him all kinds of grief. He’s called for the trainer and is now getting a vigorous massage and pulling all manner of grimaces.

Over on Philippe-Chatrier, Nick Kyrgios is sulking. His left shoulder is ailing him and Richard Gasquet is 5-1 up inside 20 minutes of the first set. I’m going to hand over to Gregg Bakowski soon - rain’s on the way, so they say, but let’s see how much they can get done before the close of play.

This was a highly welcome victory for Andy Murray after his slow progress in the opening two rounds. He was on it from the start, breaking one of the best servers around three times in the first two sets, and he held his nerve in the tie-break. On he goes into the fourth round and he’s eradicated some of those doubts.

Murray could face another big server in the fourth round. John Isner, the 15th seed, is about to get going against Teymuraz Gabashvili. He has a 5-0 winning record against Isner and he’s tied at 1-1 with Gabashvili.

Andy Murray speaks. “Especially the end, it was very close. I got off to a quick start and against someone like Ivo that’s important but he fought to the end. I’m glad to get off after a fairly quick match. The return has normally been the strongest part of my game but against him it’s not always up to you. I just tried to stay patient and take care of my own service games.”

Then Fabrice Santoro asks him to reveal what he’s going to order for dinner tonight - in French. The colour drains from Murray’s face but he’s game enough to reveal that he’ll be ordering “un filet de boeuf et, er, um, er, giggle, une salade verte”.

Andy Murray beats Ivo Karlovic 6-1, 6-4, 7-6!

Third-set tie-break: Murray* 7-3 Karlovic (*denotes server): Karlovic wallops a forehand wide and it’s all over. Murray is through to the fourth round in under two hours. Just what he needed.

Third-set tie-break: Murray 6-3 Karlovic* (*denotes server): Karlovic saves the first with an ace down the middle.

Third-set tie-break: Murray 6-2 Karlovic* (*denotes server): Murray slides into a forehand and whips it around the advancing Karlovic to earn four match points!

Third-set tie-break: Murray* 5-2 Karlovic (*denotes server): Murray almost steers a backhand wide - but it just goes in! He’s relieved.

Third-set tie-break: Murray* 4-2 Karlovic (*denotes server): Murray clips an ace down the middle, the ball kissing the line as it fizzes past Karlovic.

Third-set tie-break: Murray 3-2 Karlovic* (*denotes server): A body serve is too hot for Murray to handle.

Third-set tie-break: Murray 3-1 Karlovic* (*denotes server): Murray tries a lob. Karlovic is there with a smash.

Third-set tie-break: Murray* 3-0 Karlovic (*denotes server): A tense exchange ends with Karlovic netting a backhand slice. Murray is edging closer.

Third-set tie-break: Murray* 2-0 Karlovic (*denotes server): Karlovic runs around a forehand - and nets it!

Third-set tie-break: Murray 1-0 Karlovic* (*denotes server): Murray wins a brilliant exchange, hooking a backhand pass from left to right, just when he seemed to be gearing up for a lob.

Third set: Murray* 6-1, 6-4, 6-6 Karlovic (*denotes server): The fans are beginning to make some noise in an attempt to unsettle Murray. They wouldn’t mind a fourth set. But Murray’s not too flustered, arrowing a backhand pass from left to right for 15-0. He holds to love and we’ll have a tie-break. Murray leads their tie-break head-to-head 5-3.

Third set: Murray 6-1, 6-4, 5-6 Karlovic* (*denotes server): Murray could recently be heard telling his box to be quiet and now he’s criticising them for a lack of energy. What does he want? More than anything, a break. But he’s not getting one here, Karlovic holding to 15, and he’ll have to serve to force a tie-break.

Third set: Murray* 6-1, 6-4, 5-5 Karlovic (*denotes server): Murray’s run of 15 consecutive points on serve is stopped when he nets a forehand at 15-0. But Murray wins the next three points. Can he break?

Third set: Murray 6-1, 6-4, 4-5 Karlovic* (*denotes server): A glimmer of light for Murray as Karlovic ties himself up horribly with a backhand volley at the net. Murray’s blocked return might have been heading wide but Karlovic wasn’t to know and it’s 0-15. Yet Karlovic wins the next four points. That serve is beginning to fire. Murray will serve to stay in the third set.

Third set: Murray* 6-1, 6-4, 4-4 Karlovic (*denotes server): Murray holds to love, banging an ace out wide on the final point. Karlovic just hasn’t been able to do enough when he’s returned. He’s not got many balls back in play.

Third set: Murray 6-1, 6-4, 3-4 Karlovic* (*denotes server): Karlovic holds again, volleying cutely, and this is beginning to feel like a tie-break.

Third set: Murray* 6-1, 6-4, 3-3 Karlovic (*denotes server): A love game for Murray heaves the pressure back on to Karlovic.

Third set: Murray 6-1, 6-4, 2-3 Karlovic* (*denotes server): Karlovic appears to be in control at 40-0. Not so. Murray hits back with some splendid shots and a trademark lob makes it deuce. Here’s an opening for Murray, especially when Karlovic stoops and nets a volley down by his feet. Karlovic saves the break point, Murray not quite judging a lob well enough. But then a defensive lob gets Karlovic in trouble and he dumps a smash into the net to hand over a second break point. He saves it with a big serve, though, and holds Murray off. A fine hold.

Third set: Murray* 6-1, 6-4, 2-2 Karlovic (*denotes server): Murray holds to love. You sense all he needs is one break.

Third set: Murray 6-1, 6-4, 1-2 Karlovic* (*denotes server): “Lazy,” chunters Murray after sending a forehand pass long at 15-0. Karlovic holds with two more aces and this is more like the match we expected.

Third set: Murray* 6-1, 6-4, 1-1 Karlovic (*denotes server): The first point has to be replayed after a Karlovic return is incorrectly called out. Murray ends up losing it, getting an attempted lob wrong for once, Karlovic smashing to good effect. The game goes to 30-all but Murray earns a game point with an ace. Karlovic, though, is warming to the task and he gets to deuce with a big forehand winner from right to left. But he can’t carve out his first break point and Murray holds with his sixth ace.

Third set: Murray 6-1, 6-4, 0-1 Karlovic* (*denotes server): Karlovic begins the second set with two booming aces. That’s more like it. But this is less like it, a wretched forehand at the net at 30-15, the ball flying miles past the baseline for 30-all. He holds, though, serving well, volleying well. For the first time, Karlovic leads in a set.

Andy Murray wins the second set to lead 6-1, 6-4!

Murray easily grabs the first two points to set up a commanding 30-0 lead and it’s not long before he has three set points. Getting his first serves in helps. He can’t take the first. But he can take the second, Karlovic chipping a return long. Murray’s surely got this one in the bag.

Second set: Murray 6-1, 5-4 Karlovic* (*denotes server): Karlovic holds to 15, fighting back from 0-15, and Murray will have to serve for the second set.

Second set: Murray* 6-1, 5-3 Karlovic (*denotes server): For the second successive service game, Murray goes down 0-15, chipping into the net. And this time he loses the next point. He gets it all wrong with an awful drop shot, allowing Karlovic to lope forward and win the point with a big forehand for 0-30. Is this the Murray dip? Maybe not. Attacking Karlovic’s forehand is a profitable tactic and it gets him back to 30-all. The next point’s a minor classic, Karlovic attacking with a spinning drop shot, only for Murray to hurtle forward and steer a backhand down the line for 40-30. Murray’s roar tells you how much that one meant – and he holds to 30.

Second set: Murray 6-1, 4-3 Karlovic* (*denotes server): Karlovic holds to love. He’s making more of a fight of it on serve now. But he’s still got such a mountain to climb. Even in those size 16s, it’s a tall order.

Second set: Murray* 6-1, 4-2 Karlovic (*denotes server): Murray begins the game with a double-fault. But it’s only a rare loss of concentration. He wins the next two points, before curving an ace down the middle for 40-15, and he holds easily.

Second set: Murray 6-1, 3-2 Karlovic* (*denotes server): Karlovic pushes a volley too long to make it 15-30 and Murray then flicks a fabulous backhand pass from left to right to earn two break points. That’s a genius shot. Murray can’t take the first, though, letting Karlovic off the hook with a surprising miss with a forehand pass. Soon it’s deuce, Karlovic blootering a forehand away. Eventually Karlovic holds to keep the second set alive.

Second set: Murray* 6-1, 3-1 Karlovic (*denotes server): Murray holds to 15. He polishes off the game by cracking a forehand past Karlovic, who at least stopped Murray from lobbing him.

Second set: Murray 6-1, 2-1 Karlovic* (*denotes server): Karlovic’s third ace makes it 15-0. Another gigantic serve makes it 30-0 before an intuitive Murray lob makes it 40-0. In the end it’s a routine hold to love for Karlovic but there haven’t been enough of those.

Second set: Murray* 6-1, 2-0 Karlovic (*denotes server): Up a set and a break, the challenge for Murray now is to ensure he doesn’t suffer the kind of wobble that threatened to cause him such embarrassment against Bourgue in the previous round. But he consolidates the break, holding to 30 despite Karlovic not making it easy for him.

Second set: Murray 6-1, 1-0 Karlovic* (*denotes server): This is a huge game for Karlovic. He has to hold. But Murray’s banging on the door, ramming a forehand past him at the net for 15-30. A wild double-fault, probably caused because of Murray’s superb retrieval skills, gives up a break point. Karlovic is really going for it on serve. The problem is that Murray’s getting everything back. He tries to serve volley. But a sharp Murray forehand draws another error, a volley that flies well wide.

Andy Murray wins the first set 6-1!

Looking to serve out the first set, Murray romps into a 40-0 lead thanks to some excellent serving. “Come on!” he cries as a blocked return from Karlovic drifts well past the baseline. This has been so impressive from Murray. But that previous service game from Karlovic suggests that the second set won’t be so easy.

First set: Murray 5-1 Karlovic* (*denotes server): Karlovic finally gets himself on the board, a couple of aces sealing a hold to love. But Murray’s about to serve for the set.

Updated

First set: Murray* 5-0 Karlovic (*denotes server): Murray rumbles into a 40-30 lead with the first ace of the match. The first ace of the match! I didn’t expect to be writing that in the fifth game. But Murray follows that up with a double fault to allow Karlovic to deuce, only to hold with an ace down the middle.

First set: Murray 4-0 Karlovic* (*denotes server): Karlovic, looking stiff after his exertions in the second round, begins with a double fault but he does well to fight back to parity from 0-30. But another double fault gifts Murray a break point. This could be the first set done and dusted. Sure enough, a huge forehand return from Murray almost knocks Karlovic off his feet and he’s into a 4-0 lead after all of 15 minutes.

First set: Murray* 3-0 Karlovic (*denotes server): Murray consolidates the break by holding to 15, sealing it with an accurate crosscourt forehand. He couldn’t have asked for better than this.I know ‘if’ is the biggest word in sport, but if Murray wins the title here a week on Sunday, it will have to go down as one of the greatest achievements by any player in any sport for a very long time,” says Simon McMahon. “His talent should have brought him more than two Grand Slams, but a win in Paris after what happened in rounds one and two, and I’d be out of superlatives. GO ANDY!”

First set: Murray 2-0 Karlovic* (*denotes server): Over to Ivo, then, and he makes a worrying start to this game. He drops the first point, then dumps a volley into the net after a good Murray backhand return for 0-30. He’s soon facing three break points, Murray speeding around the court, charging on to a looping blocked volley to ram a forehand down the line on the run for 0-40. Karlovic saves the first with a body serve, though, then the second with a huge serve out wide for 30-40 and it’s deuce when Murray blocks a return into the net. It’s a handy weapon Karlovic brings to the table. Yet he’s facing another break point when he’s foot faulted on a second serve, conjuring memories of his defeat to Murray at Wimbledon in 2012. He stands with his hands on his hips, glaring at the line judge, an intimidating sight. But there’s no escape. He approaches the net. Murray simply picks him off with a beautiful lob to earn that precious break! What a start for the world No2.

First set: Murray* 1-0 Karlovic (*denotes server): Ivo Karlovic won the toss and chose to receive, putting the pressure on Murray to hold from the off. But he does so without any problems at all, an unfussy hold to 15. “I think that we all know the issue with Murray’s somewhat slow start to the French Open,” says John Allan. “He’s a Hibs fan and has actually been blootered since Saturday.”

This is likely to be more mentally demanding than physically for Murray. And it will be interesting to see how Karlovic is feeling after his five-set win over Jordan Thompson - he knocked 41 aces past the Australian but he won the final set 12-10.

Here come the players. A glimpse of Karlovic confirms that he’s very tall.

A big backhand down the line wraps it up for a relieved Simona Halep. She’s beaten Naomi Osaka 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to reach the fourth round. Andy Murray and Ivo Karlovic will be on court next.

Simona Halep hits a backhand.
Simona Halep hits a backhand. Photograph: Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images

Updated

Naomi Osaka, 18, has played a brilliant match. But she’s been broken to love and Simona Halep is serving for it at 5-3 in the third.

How many tie-breaks should we expect today? Murray and Karlovic have played 18 sets in six matches and eight of them have gone to tie-breaks. Murray has won five to Karlovic’s three, while the Croatian has only won one set against Murray without a tie-break - that came in his 7-6, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 defeat to the world No2 at Wimbledon last year. Murray lobbed to maddening, cheeky perfection that day.

While we wait for Murray and Karlovic, the match before them on Suzanne-Lenglen is something of a humdinger. Naomi Osaka is the rank outsider against Simona Halep but she took the first set off the sixth seed and they’re into a third and still on serve.

Bonjour!

No player has been in better form on clay than Andy Murray in the past 12 months, including Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and the sorely missed Roger Federer. On a surface he used to view with suspicion that bordered on despair rather than contempt, Murray used to move as smoothly as a Manchester United managerial appointment. But he has found his feet on the dirt, winning titles in Munich, Madrid and Rome, beating Nadal and Djokovic, securing the Davis Cup for Great Britain by defeating Belgium on the clay almost single-handedly (he had some help from big brother Jamie in the doubles).

All of which meant that he arrived in Paris strongly favoured to win the French Open for the first time, the second favourite behind Djokovic. You can make excellent arguments for defending champion Stan Wawrinka and nine-time champion Nadal as well but Murray’s recent form on clay cannot be ignored.

Murray being Murray, though, this has been a fraught to start to the tournament. While his rivals have gone about their business without too much fuss, save for Wawrinka’s awkward five-setter with Lukas Rosol in the first round, Murray has spent 10 sets and more than seven and a half hours, spread over three days, winning his first two matches against Radek Stepanek and Mathias Bourgue, both of whom reside well outside the top 100.

What’s up? If his struggle with the wily Stepanek could be put down to him feeling flat after a rain delayed start, then we were verging on crisis territory when he gave up a 6-2, 2-0 lead over Bourgue, playing only his second grand slam match, to trail by two sets to one against the French wildcard. Murray waltzed through the final two sets in the end - but he won’t forget that he faced break points in the first game of the fourth set. It could have been very different if he’d not saved those.

Various theories have been put forward. Some have said he’s tired after his exertions in beating Djokovic in Rome last week. Others have pointed to the fact he’s a new father. More pertinent, perhaps, is the off-court drama surrounding Amelie Mauresmo, his former coach, who recently noted that Murray’s demeanour on court made him difficult to work with. He’s had to answer a lot of questions about Mauresmo and it’s clearly not done him much good. He hasn’t played back-to-back five-set matches since the US Open in 2005.

Whatever the problem is, Murray needs to shake off the rust quickly, else he could be on the next Eurostar home. He’s up against Ivo Karlovic in the third round today and matches against the 6ft 11in Croatian ace machine are always a drain on anyone’s mental resources. The good news for Murray is that he has a 6-0 winning record over Karlovic, including two victories over him at Wimbledon, who spent some time out with a knee injury recently. But Karlovic has notched 72 aces in his first two matches - expect at least one tie-break - and Murray is going to need all of his focus to win this one.

Play begins: soon.

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