LONDON: World No.1 Andy Murray produced a lacklustre display as he suffered a shock 7-6(4), 6-2, loss to Australian lucky loser Jordan Thompson in the first round of the Aegon Championships.
Seeking a rejuvenation in his game following a roller coaster clay-court swing, the Brit struggled to control his emotions against Thompson, a player who reached the final of the Surbiton Challenger last week. Murray’s unsettling glares towards his camp was a reflection of his unease on the court. Struggling to maintain a consistent balance in his game, shouts of frustration erupted in front of the packed crowd at the Queen’s Club in London.
“He played better than me. That’s what happened.” Said Murray. “The first set there was not much in it. I made some mistakes in the middle part of the tiebreak, which gifted it to him a little bit.”
“I didn’t create loads of chances, really. I didn’t return particularly well. He served big. He served well.” The 30-year-old added.
The top seed had his work cut out from the onset against an inspire Thompson, who came in as a late replacement for Aljaz Bedene. Saving a trio of break points in his opening service game, it was Murray that was battling to keep up with the world No.90. In the clutch moments, Murray failed to shine after dropping his serve three times in the tiebreaker to hand his opponent the opening set.
With a shock brewing, there was no signs of a Murray fight back as his mood deteriorated. His normally reliable mental strength abandoned him as he dropped serve two consecutive times in the second set before experiencing his worst defeat at the Queen’s tournament since 2006.
“I said before the tournament there was still a lot of work to be done, and after the French Open I knew that I was still quite far from where I needed to be. I mean, one tournament doesn’t change all of what had gone on just beforehand.” He admitted.
Ironically Murray might be hoping for a repeat of his troublesome recent weeks. Leading up to the French Open, he suffered a series of of below-par results at three consecutive Masters 1000 tournaments. Still, he managed to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros. During the French Open, he once said that playing in major tournaments enhances the competitive side of him.
“It has happened in the past where guys haven’t done well and gone on to do well at Wimbledon. There are no guarantees that I won’t do well at Wimbledon, but it certainly would have helped to have had more matches. That’s always been the case for me.”
12 months later
The mood of the Murray camp is different to that of 12 months ago. In 2016 the Brit was unbeaten on the grass by winning both Queen’s and Wimbledon. This time round, Murray carries the burden of expectation associated with being a number one player.
Addressing the media in London, Murray was very businessman like and showed little emotion. It was almost like his loss wasn’t such a huge surprise. A perplexing view for a player of Murray’s Calibre. The actual game of the world No.1 remains the same, but his confidence is different to that of a year ago.
“I don’t feel like loads of my game has changed, but obviously right now I’m not playing as well as I was 12 months ago. Most of that comes down to confidence in matches.” He explained.
“It’s not so much that I have changed my serve or my technique as much. It’s just when you’re playing a lot of matches and winning consistently helps you make better decisions at important moments.”
Faced with the unfamiliar situation of no ATP wins on a grass-court prior to Wimbledon, Murray is going back to the drawing board with his team. The roller coaster journey for the world No.1 continues as his hopes at SW19 hang in the balance.
