Andy Murray advanced to the Surbiton semi-finals. he won the comeback and advanced to the semi-finals of Surbiton on Friday afternoon. But as he walked off the court, his first question to the assembled reporters was: «Who won against Djokovic and Alcaraz?»
The world watched as Novak Djokovic reached the final at Roland Garros, playing the most long-awaited match of the year. But at almost the same time, his contemporary Murray was working in front of 622 people at the ATP Challenger tournament.
Murray had to get used to this less glamorous reality that Murray had to get used to after his devastating hip. an injury deviated his career from Djokovic and the rest of the so-called big three of the stratospheric trajectory.
At 36, Djokovic seems forever young. In the meantime, Murray is always trying to find a balance between controlling his body and getting the matches and points he needs to help him in his important Major performance.
He skipped clay in Paris to favor grass handicap over Wimbledon, and so far in Surbiton this decision is paying off. He battled gusty winds — what he called «the worst conditions for playing tennis» — to start a comeback against world No. 69 Jason Kubler and win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in just two hours.
Considering these small events, no one can doubt his dedication to the game. But Murray was the first to admit that the main stage is where he always wanted to be.
“I was watching [Holger] Rune vs [Kasper] Ruud the other day, and I played regularly in the quarter-finals or semi-finals of the French Open,” he said. “I liked playing in such matches, in such full stadiums. Obviously, when I have the opportunity, for example at the Australian Open or Wimbledon, I really enjoy these events. I would like to play more in the last stages of these events.”
On Saturday, Murray will face defending Surbiton champion Australian Jordan Thompson in his eighth semi-final since suffering a hip infection in 2017. But the most important match of the weekend will take place in Paris, where Djokovic will try to become the first man to win 23 major singles titles. Murray supports his long time rival because he just knows what it's like to lose to Djokovic in a major, he's done it eight times in his career.
«Novak's win today is big,» Murray said. “Obviously Alcaraz is going to win a few Grand Slams, but I know that when you face guys who have won 10 or 20 Grand Slams in those finals or semi-finals, it's different from competing with other players who haven't had that experience. .
“I didn’t watch the match, but the fact that Alcaraz was cramped suggests that he was nervous, which was understandable in that situation. It was Novak's 45th Grand Slam semi-final, which is an incredible number. It would be amazing to see him do it on Sunday. I will support him, I hope he can do it, because what he has done is incredible.”
British women are making history in southwest London
Meanwhile, for the women at Surbiton, it was another successful day for the Brits as Katie Boulter, Katie Swan and Lily Miyazaki made it to the semi-finals. For the first time in the tournament's history, there are three home players in the last four, and two of them — Boulter and Swan — are still vying for the top spot in the UK rankings on Monday morning.
In her current form, Boulter is on pole position as she has already accumulated enough points to overtake the injured Emma Răducanou when the world rankings are updated after the conclusion of the French Open. However, if she loses in the semi-finals to Janina Wickmeier and Swan wins the title on Sunday, then Swan will take first place.
Cathy Boulter is in the best position to become the new number 1 in the UK. Photo: PA/John Walton her 7-5, 6-2 quarter-final victory over Victoria Golubic. “Of course it would be a privilege. Being part of British history, being number one in Britain would be special, but I have a lot of work to do. I want to go from 80 to 60 and 50 [in the rankings].»
Meanwhile, Swan scored «one of the best wins» of her career over last year's Wimbledon semi-finalist and Tatiana Maria to ensure the Briton is sure to play on Sunday final.
Her comeback with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 upset the top seed to 67th in the world, her third best win in the rankings.
On Saturday, she will face compatriot Lily Miyazaki in the last four, after she beat British 16-year-old Isabelle Lacey 6-3 6-0.
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