TENNIS WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIPS:FOR ALMOST two hours yesterday a shimmering Centre Court was more the Plaza de Torros bull ring in Valencia than the cathedral of lawn tennis. As temperatures soared at Wimbledon to above 32 degrees and the sun-baked courts cut up in kicks of dry grass and dust, Andy Murray put Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero to the sword with pitiless efficiency.
It was one of those afternoons that you might have remembered as the Wimbledon championships of childhood. A glorious summer’s day, perfect really with people cheerily complaining of the heat. Programmes were turned into beating fans and even precious seats on Centre Court were abandoned for the sanctuary of some shade in the shadowed walkways.
The former French Open champion, Ferrero, with his high cheek bones, alert narrow eyes and a white-knotted bandana, looked every bit the frisky, light-footed artist that could undermine the rangy, red-haired Scot, especially in hammering sunshine.
Smaller and lighter set than the more strapping Murray, Ferrero was the player invited here as a wild card after his world ranking had plummeted to below the levels that earn automatic entry.
In that respect his manners were impeccable as he obligingly fell 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 and without the customary drama and apprehension that often turn Murray’s matches into spectacles of botheration and distress. It was a classically-framed afternoon match but without the tension and furious epic proportions of his evening session on Monday night under lights.
The impressive part was that Murray dramatically improved with each shortening set until he ultimately smoked the 29-year-old Spaniard off the court in the third. That came as a relief as before the quarter-final match he had unsettled those with longer memories.
Anyone who had watched him here last year when he triumphed in a troubled but successful struggle with Frenchman Richard Gasquet over five sets, only to fall lamely to Rafael Nadal in three in the next match, had concerns about him arriving flat and featureless to the waiting Ferrero.
But since then Murray has added nine pounds of muscle to his 6ft 3in frame and has devoted himself to a punishing physical regime that includes yoga, weight sessions and ice baths.
Perhaps then it was no surprise that Ferrero wilted under his opponent’s bigger game, especially his serve and returns of serve and as the Spaniard’s fight thinned under the barrage Murray became stronger. Under the gaze of actress Kate Winslet in the stands he continued to blaze down what he hopes to be his own Revolutionary Road with a semi-final berth and from there a first British title since Fred Perry won in 1936.
“He’s playing well, moving well and serving very well. He’s one of the best serve return players on grass courts. He returns everything,” said Ferrero.
The Spaniard summed it up accurately, although he understandably declined to mention that he had double-faulted to hand Murray a first set. Still, he had been playing well enough not to agonise over that and was quickly rewarded with Murray’s serve in the first game of the second set.
For the Murray camp that immediate reversal was a disappointment and not just because their man was wrestling with range and accuracy from the back of the court. The old adage is to hold strong once you break an opponent’s serve and Murray clearly lapsed. Little did Ferrero know that that point of the match would be his pinnacle as Murray proceeded to trample all over his hopes and carve him out of the contest.
The 22-year-old, like all top players who have the potential to win a Grand Slam, was able to inflate the dimensions of his game. That combined with his irritation with the effrontery of Ferrero for having snatched his serve urged Murray on as he effortlessly broke back twice for 6-3.
“From 3-1 and deuce, I think I only lost one point in that (second) set,” he said. “Yeah, started to serve better. I was hitting my returns a lot harder and was starting to read his serve.”
The energy from hitting the Spaniard so quickly and painfully propelled him into the third set pumped up with aggression and with a menacing edge to his game. A short sequence of exchanging serves and Murray took off again winning five games in a row to complete the match in one hour, 42 minutes.
Although invited to believe that his momentum can now carry him to the final, Murray cautiously declined. “No, I understand that I can lose the next match if I do not play my best,” he said. “That’s one of the things I’ve learned and it’s made a huge difference to me over the last year. If I don’t bring my best game I’m going to lose to guys like Hewitt or Roddick.
“I feel confident because I’ve won a lot of matches on grass. But I know I have to perform and that gets the nerves and the adrenaline going and makes me play better.”
The weather forecast for Friday is for rain and Murray may face the roof being closed again. That ensures that noise levels increase, humidity soars and patience fractures. Not quite the bull ring but an uncomfortable place where Murray has shown he can thrive.
