Andy Murray Expects A stern Test Against Sam Groth In Australia - UBITENNIS

Andy Murray Expects A stern Test Against Sam Groth In Australia

By Adam Addicott
3 Min Read
Andy Murray in action during the first round of the Australian Open (Zimbio.com)

Following his first round triumph over Alexander Zverev, Andy Murray has spoken about the danger he faces against Sam Groth and his army of home fans.

Murray’s record against Australian players is perfect with the Brit winning all 15 of his encounters against the Aussies on the singles tour since 2006. Nevertheless, the world No.2 will enter unfamiliar territory in the second round when he faces Groth for the first time in his career. The Australian is known for his speedy serve and took a set off Roger Federer at Wimbledon last year. Speaking about Groth’s tactics, including moving forward to the net, Murray said that he enjoys playing against similar styles to Groth.

“I’ll be ready for that,” Murray said. “I normally enjoy playing against the guys who come forward. I’ll need to return well and pass well if I want to win.
“It’s my first time playing him in singles, he’s a big guy. He serves big and uses serve-and-volley tactics.
“He tries to get forward as much as he can. You don’t see many players like that now.”

Groth is currently ranked 67th in the world. Last year he claimed two Challenger titles in Taipei and Manchester. The 28-year-old also has the benefit of an army of home fans cheering him on. Speaking about his upcoming encounter, the Australian reveals that he plans to conduct agreesive play against the world No.2

“Hopefully I will serve well and it doesn’t come back,” Groth said.
“I’m going to take it to him. I’m going to serve big and try to get forward and play aggressively, everything I do normally.”

Murray is familiar with how significant a home crowd can be in boosting a player’s performance. With the home advantage, Murray expects a much tougher test than his first round encounter.

“He’ll obviously have the crowd behind him,” Murray said.
 “He’s a very competitive guy so he fights extremely hard, he has a great attitude.
“He’ll make it tough for me because he has a different game style to a lot of the players now.”

The British player should also expect a proportion of the crowd to support him, considering his record at the tournament. Since 2010, he has reached the final at the tournament four times.

The second round match between Groth and Murray will be the third match on the Rod Laver Arena on Thursday.

Leave a comment