Andy Murray says he is “proud” of his overall performance at the French Open following his semi-final defeat to Stan Wawrinka.
| French Open men’s final |
|---|
| Venue: Roland Garros, Paris. Date: Sunday, 11 June. Time: 14:00 BST. |
| Coverage: Live radio commentary and text coverage on BBC Radio 5 live, the BBC Sport website and app. |
Andy Murray was “proud” of his effort after losing in five sets to Stan Wawrinka at the French Open – and hoped it would boost his Wimbledon challenge.
Swiss third seed Wawrinka won their semi-final 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 in four hours and 34 minutes.
The Briton began the tournament short of matches after illness and injury.
“I was close to reaching another Slam final when I was not playing well and feeling really, really bad before the event,” Murray told BBC Sport.
“I’m not happy – I’m disappointed, frustrated and tired after a long couple of weeks – but I’m proud I put myself into that position, when there were a lot of doubts coming into the event and I didn’t feel great at the beginning of the tournament.
“I worked through it, accepted the position I was in, and gave a reasonable account of myself considering those things.”
Wawrinka hit 87 winners in a gripping contest that pitted the 2015 champion’s attacking prowess against the defensive skills of Murray.
The Swiss, 32, ultimately proved too strong as he made amends for losing to Murray at the same stage last year in Paris.
“He played too well in the end,” said the 30-year-old world number one.
“Physically I didn’t feel my best at the end. It is more like I didn’t have enough weight on my shot at the end of the match to put him under any real pressure.”
Murray struggled with shingles, two heavy colds and an elbow injury in the first half of 2017, and arrived at Roland Garros with just 16 wins to his name.
Over the course of six matches in Paris, he spent 18 hours and 17 minutes on court.
Victories over Juan Martin del Potro and Kei Nishikori gave particular encouragement as he looks ahead to the grass-court season.
“I do feel like having an event like this can give me a boost,” said Murray, who will play his first match on grass at the Aegon Championships on 20 June.
“On the grass I’ll hopefully move well, that’s an important part of my game and something I struggled with at a few points during this clay season.
“And the serve. That’s something I struggled with the last couple of months.
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“I served fairly well at this event but on the grass it’s obviously a huge part of the game – if you serve well it can make a huge difference.”
The Scot will retain the number one ranking heading into the grass-court season, but has plenty of points to defend as reigning champion at Queen’s Club and Wimbledon.
Asked how far he feels from his best level, Murray said: “I played pretty well these last few matches.
“Even when you’re playing well, you’re not going to win every match you play, but I put myself in a position to reach a Slam final, so I’m obviously playing pretty good.”
| French Open |
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| Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Dates: 28 May- 11 June |
| Coverage: Listen to live radio commentary and follow text coverage of selected matches on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and online. |
Britain’s Alfie Hewett reached two wheelchair finals at the French Open, including his first in Grand Slam singles, with victories on Friday.
Hewett, 19, beat Japan’s Shingo Kunieda 6-4 6-4 in the singles semi-final and will also compete the doubles final with compatriot Gordon Reid.
The 2016 Wimbledon men’s doubles winners beat Maikel Scheffers and Gustavo Fernandez 4-6 6-3 10-8.
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Hewett will play Argentine Fernandez in Saturday’s singles final.
“Shingo played well and made me really push for the win. It was a very close one and thankfully I was able to hold serve at 5-4 on both occasions,” said Hewett.
“It’s a great feeling to get to my first Grand Slam final. I didn’t think I would get this far.
“I’m going to give it my all against Gustavo and I expect another very strong opponent.”
Hewett and Reid will play French pair Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer, who beat them in the final of the 2016 Rio Olympics, in the doubles final.
Elsewhere, Britain’s Jordanne Whiley lost in the women’s doubles semi-final alongside the Netherlands’ Diede de Groot, having been knocked out of the singles on Thursday in the quarter-final.
Scot leads two sets to one
Andy Murray has edged ahead in a pulsating semi-final contest with Stan Wawrinka at Roland Garros to lead 7-6(8), 3-6, 7-5, with the match ticking into its fourth hour.
The winner will face either nine-time champion Rafael Nadal or Dominic Thiem in Sunday’s final.
Murray, contesting the Roland Garros semi-finals for the fifth time, used every ounce of his guile and defensive skills to sneak the opener. It was a set Wawrinka will know he should have won. The Swiss served for it at 5-3, and held a set point in the tie-break, but his go-for-broke play proved his undoing as well as his weapon, as his unforced error count mounted, due in no small part to Murray’s phenomenal defence.
After thwarting Wawrinka’s bid to serve for the set in the ninth game, Murray then edged a nervy tie-break, which saw both players squander leads. Murray twice had a mini-break advantage, but neither time managed to build on his lead. The Dunblane native came in behind his first serve at 5/5, but it was Wawrinka who won the game of cat and mouse at the net to earn his first set point. The Swiss failed to convert, though, as he fired a backhand into the net – one of 23 unforced errors he committed in the set, compared to just 10 from Murray. Murray then seized his own set point opportunity, steering the point his way with a brave backhand topspin lob in the wind, and sealed the opener as Wawrinka dumped a forehand return into the net.
But the 2015 Roland Garros champion would not be cowed. Wawrinka struck back in the second set, keeping Murray under constant pressure with a continuing barrage of shots. The 32-year-old Swiss brought his unforced errors down to 15 for the set, and fired rockets from the baseline to keep Murray scrambling. Murray dug himself out of a nine-plus minute game at 2-2, saving a break point, but he could not keep Wawrinka at bay in the seventh game. Feeling the pressure, Murray double faulted to go down 0/40 and could only watch on as Wawrinka rifled a backhand winner to seal the break.
This time, Wawrinka made no mistake with his lead. The Lausanne native went after Murray’s serve again in the ninth game and secured the set at the first opportunity, firing a forehand winner off the return to level the match.
Commentating for Eurosport, John McEnroe remarked that Murray was “paralysed” in the face of the explosiveness and pace coming off Wawrinka’s racquet, and the Scot appeared flat the start of the third set as Wawrinka raced to a 3-0 lead.
Volée gagnante pour @stanwawrinka qui mène 3/0 dans la 3e manche face à @andy_murray #RG17 pic.twitter.com/sDE4aEsaGc
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 9, 2017
Murray stopped the run of seven games against him as he dug in to hold serve, though, and he seized his opportunity as Wawrinka’s level dipped in the following game to get the break back. In a set that would swing both ways, Wawrinka again went up a break to lead 4-2, but Murray once more hit back. It seems likely Wawrinka would have scored yet another break in the eighth game, were it not for some improvised defence from Murray at key moments, including a half-volley lob at 15/15.
Having held for 4-4, Murray might have rued two missed break points in the following game as his trusty backhand return temporarily deserted him at 15/40. But the Scot responded well to hold for 5-5 and then scrapped his way to the decisive service break in the 11th game. After Paris’ take on the Mexican Wave, the Scot was able to serve out the third set.
| French Open men’s final |
|---|
| Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Date: Sunday, 11 June Time: 14:00 BST |
| Coverage: Live radio commentary and text coverage on BBC Radio 5 live, the BBC Sport website and app. |
Andy Murray’s French Open hopes ended with a five-set defeat by Swiss third seed Stan Wawrinka in the semi-finals.
The world number one was beaten 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 in four hours and 34 minutes.
It was a repeat of last year’s semi-final, which the Briton won before going on to lose the final to Novak Djokovic.
Former champion Wawrinka faces Rafael Nadal or Dominic Thiem in Sunday’s final.
At 32 years and 75 days, Wawrinka is the oldest finalist at Roland Garros since Nikola Pilic in 1973.
Wawrinka will get the chance to add a second Roland Garros title to his 2015 victory, and move ahead of Murray with four Grand Slam titles, after his shot-making won the day.
The Swiss hit 87 winners – 45 on the forehand side – as he finally overcame the determination and defensive skills of Murray.
Short on matches after a season interrupted by illness and injury, Murray got within four points of victory but ultimately ran out of gas as Wawrinka made him cover a punishing 4.5km over more than four hours.
Wawrinka had chances to win both the first and third sets as well, only for Murray to clinch a gripping opening tie-break after two superb lobs in the same rally.
The Swiss went on a run of seven games in a row to take the second and move 3-0 up in the third, as he pulled the Scot from side to side before firing winners into the spaces down each line.
It took a magnificent response from Murray, twice a break down, to edge the third set as he harried and chased into the far reaches of Philippe Chatrier Court.
When Wawrinka dumped a volley into the net to fall two sets to one behind, having lost three points when Murray sent smashes flying back to him, the Swiss looked understandably bewildered.
The fourth set came down to another tie-break as neither man could fashion a break point, and a misjudged drop shot from Murray proved crucial as Wawrinka took the last three points in a row.
The prospect of a fifth-set decider had the Chatrier crowd on their feet but Wawrinka made sure it was no contest, opening up with another forehand winner down the line as he raced 5-0 clear.
Murray managed one final rearguard with a break of serve, before Wawrinka ripped his 21st backhand winner of the afternoon down the line to secure victory.
World number six Milos Raonic has parted company with coach Richard Krajicek after only six months.
The 26-year-old Canadian appointed former Wimbledon champion Krajicek in December and reached two finals.
He failed to win a title, however, and lost in the last 16 of the French Open to world number 21 Pablo Carreno Busta.
“This decision has been a mutual one,” Raonic said. “I would like to thank Richard for his help with my game, his dedication and professionalism.”
Supercoach arrangement ends after six months
Milos Raonic and Richard Krajicek have officially parted ways. The Canadian and the 1996 Wimbledon champion started working together this past December, but Raonic confirmed via his Twitter account that their coaching relationship had amicably come to a close.
“My coach, Richard Krajicek, and I have decided to part ways. This decision has been a mutual one,” wrote Raonic. “I would like to thank Richard for his help with my game, his dedication and professionalism. I wish him all the best.”
Raonic is still working with longtime coach Riccardo Piatti. The World No. 6 in the Emirates ATP Rankings is scheduled to kick off his grass-court campaign in two weeks at the Aegon Championships in London.
While all the focus was on a semi final between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, it has eventually failed to materialise…