Murray wary over ankle after quickfire win

Image
AFP Melbourne
Last Updated : Jan 18 2017 | 7:28 PM IST
Top seed Andy Murray remained wary about his right ankle today after he rolled it painfully during a straight-sets win over Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open.
The British world number one cruised past teenage Russian qualifier Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-0, 6-2 and will play American Sam Querrey in the third round.
Murray, who is chasing his first Australian Open title after losing five finals, raised concerns in the third set when he went over on his right ankle, grimacing in pain.
Murray looked worried, hobbling noticeably, and was heard telling his player's box "not good news... It's not good".
But he played on and finished the match without great duress, breaking Rublev's serve six times and not having one break point on his 12 service games.
"I don't know how bad it is. It just is a little bit stiff just now. It's okay. I don't think I've done too much damage," he said afterwards.
"I heard a few sort of little crackles, and it was sore. It was throbbing for the rest of the match. I was moving fine on it, though.
"I'll see how it feels when I get up in the morning. It can sometimes swell overnight."
Murray hastened the end with a double break in the final set to wrap up the night match on Rod Laver Arena in 1hr 37min against a player on his tournament debut.
It allowed the Scot to reach the third round in Melbourne for the ninth straight year and he has yet to drop a set after wins over Illya Marchenko and Rublev.
Murray said he played better than he did against Marchenko on Monday.
"I did pretty good tonight. It was better than the first match. I was hitting the ball a bit cleaner," he said.
"I was hitting through the court more. More winners. I was able to get myself up to net more. I served way better, too.
"That helps you and allows you to dictate more points. Second serve was harder than the other day. Most things were better tonight. But still think I can improve."
Murray is looking to become the first man in the Open era to win a Grand Slam title after losing five finals at a single Slam.
He finished as runner-up to Roger Federer in 2010, and to Novak Djokovic in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016.
The Scot is also trying to avoid becoming the first man in the Open era to lose six Grand Slam finals at any one major.
His coach Ivan Lendl is the only other man to have lost five finals at any one Slam event -- falling in the title match at the US Open in 1982-84 and 1988-89, but winning the tournament in 1985-87.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jan 18 2017 | 7:28 PM IST

Next Story