Murray gets Swiss-Serb sandwich in glory bid

TENNIS:THE PERCEPTION that the draw is a minefield for some and a cakewalk for others has again invaded early discussions of Andy Murray's US Open chances. But Ivan Lendl entertains no delusions about his charge being gifted a soft route to the final, given that Rafael Nadal is out, nor does he want him disturbed by pesky journalists.

On the eve of the final major of the year, Lendl took the unconventional step of fulfilling Murray’s media obligations. He was in mischievous, combative mood, partly the over-spill of a spat with British tennis writers at Wimbledon, partly his determination to keep his player focused. “There is enough stress on match days,” he said.

“It’s you guys, and friends and agents and everybody. When you don’t have to deal with it, half the time you’re better off.”

Lendl does not do complicated. When he played the US Open he lived 35 minutes away and spent as little time as possible on site. “I liked staying home,” he said. “It’s very taxing, physically and mentally, to be here. At home, you can practise when you want, you finish, lie down, jump in the pool, play with your dogs, have lunch, take a nap, play golf. You’re not relying on anybody’s schedule but your own.”

And this is definitely a place of tumult. A year ago, Flushing Meadows, where the final has been postponed four years in a row, was the most aptly named sporting venue in the United States. It overflowed with drama – and the elements. Even before players discussed strike action over the schedule, a tropical storm and earthquake hit New York; this year, Hurricane Rafa blew by, a force of nature neutered by his chronically crumbling knees.

When Nadal – a losing finalist against Novak Djokovic last year – withdrew this month, not many insiders were shocked. Nevertheless, the news excited speculation that Murray’s task of winning his first slam title had somehow become easier.

Such a basic misreading of the maths, not to mention Murray’s dilemma of living in an era inhabited by Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer, ignores the realities: to win a major, he probably has to beat two of the trio. What can be established with reasonable certainty is that Murray’s life has fundamentally altered in the eight months since Lendl returned from exile to bring his peculiar brand of granite-jawed realism to the Scot’s sometimes fragile game. He understands that had Murray not been drawn in Federer’s half, he would have been contemplating a semi-final against the second seed Djokovic, and a likely final against the rejuvenated world number one from Switzerland. As it stands, Murray gets a Swiss-Serb sandwich rather than a Serb-Swiss one. As the player himself has said, it does not matter who you play on the way if you do not win the final.

Murray’s dance card here, after his nailed-on first match against the 73rd-ranked Alex Bogomolov Jr, reads: a qualifier or Ivan Dodig in round two, Feliciano Lopez in round three, Milos Raonic in round four, then Tsonga in the quarter-finals, before crunch time.

What Nadal’s absence has done is make it slightly easier for Djokovic to reach the final, not easier for Murray to win it. Luck, or life? You would not have to guess Lendl’s answer.