Andy Murray’s win over Radek Stepanek was not an epic match, but the Scot is right to suggest it could be one of the biggest of his career, writes Tumaini Carayol.
For a career filled with violent battles in the deepest stages of the biggest tournaments against the greatest tennis players the world has ever seen, it doesn’t seem like the act of barely surviving a 37-year-old year old qualifier across two cold, damp and completely uninspiring days of tennis should ever really rank highly on the list of Andy Murray's greatest endeavours.
Except when the thought is suggested by the man himself.
“I think in matches like today, it's an extremely important match for me,” said Murray after his two-day 3-6 3-6 6-0 6-3 7-5 comeback victory over Radek Stepanek on Tuesday. "You know, it could turn out to be one of the biggest wins of my career, which, you know, it may not, also, but to get through that match, it was really, really important for me.”
After the match, Murray left no room for doubt over the utility and significance of his victory over Radek Stepanek. This was no epic, no classic and none of the various words lazily used to describe any lengthy five-setter apply. It was not a match to be remembered for its quality, and the one strong performance on the court sure wasn't from his side.
From the outset, the heavy conditions weighed Murray down. While he had glued himself to the baseline and refused to move for three weeks, his forehands fell short and he was pushed far behind the line. Where Murray had controlled and directed the majority of his matches over the course of the clay season, he found himself unable to hit through the conditions.
The entertainment was provided solely by Stepanek. For two uninterrupted sets followed by a bellowing final stand at the close, the Czech succeeded where Murray failed. Instead of falling victim to the suboptimal conditions, he sliced through them with his trademark unorthodox variety. Stepanek played fast and flat, relying on high-risk tennis, crunching Murray's short forehands and rushing the net. He constantly took the initiative, and the score rewarded him.
Even though he is no longer a player that people look to spoil a big draw by spilling the blood of a top seed, Stepanek remains one of the few players who can be relied on to bring all his tricks regardless of the opposition. While many huge talents bow in reverence to their four superiors, these matches only seem to energise Stepanek's eccentricities.
So when the match started to fall from his grasp on Monday night and darkness crept over Court Philippe Chatrier, Stepanek didn't hesitate to leave Murray seething by attempting to run the clock down by stalling, taking a toilet break and then changing his shirt to boos from the crowd. And in the fifth set on Tuesday, as Stepanek dug out hold after hold from break points down, he raked up the gamesmanship again by demanding the crowd’s cheers after every point.
But Murray survived this skill and cynicism, and that's the only relevant fact of the match. As is said, no Grand Slam title can be won in the opening rounds, but it can be horrifically squandered. Nor is any tennis player capable of competing to their limit in every match. Poor performances are certain, and those who navigate their nadirs as skilfully as their peaks are the ones who succeed.
In the wake of their now overdramatised split, Amelie Mauresmo's comments about Murray's "complex" on-court persona have dominated the last two tennis news cycles. Murray's constant hurling of monologues and childish comments towards his team were as undesirable as with previous coaches. Unsurprisingly, Murray's mutterings also proved the background music for the first two sets on Chatrier. However, the second Murray stepped to the baseline while staring down the barrel of a two-set deficit, he was a changed man.
From the slow-burning, expletive-ridden anger of the first two sets, he opened the third set radiating unadulterated positivity. He won 10 straight points at the beginning of the set and punctuated every last one with booming, jubilant cheers at the top of his lungs. Murray's bellowing after every point, winners and errors alike, were almost as obnoxious as Stepanek's stalling and gamesmanship, but it was necessary too. Murray is certainly a complex character on the court and his complexity lies in the fact that, in the heat of the moment when he’s aware that he simply can't survive with his attitude, he does know how to switch it off for a period and choose survival.
“There is also, for me, some good things, as well,” said Murray afterwards. “Some good attributes that I have on the court, too. I displayed them in abundance today, in my opinion, and yesterday. I fought extremely hard from a very, very difficult position. Yes, I was getting frustrated, but I gave everything to try to win today's and yesterday's match and got myself out of a situation that not all players would have been able to get themselves out of.”
Most interestingly, Murray's comments clearly highlight just how much he fancies his chances over thirteen days and are more convincing than any clear statement of belief. When he stated that this victory could be one of the best of his career, the unspoken implication is that he is already looking at the big picture and if he winds up winning the tournament or even contesting a final that elevates his standing, all followers of tennis would think back to his tense but not epic, entertaining but not high quality, first round battle against Stepanek. Hindsight would shine a glorious light on it.
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