The last time Andy Murray stepped on to Court Philippe Chatrier, he had to bow to the excellence of Novak Djokovic in the final that lifted the Serb to the high point of his career. On day three of the 2017 French Open, Murray was the one who bathed in the crowd’s warm embrace when they rose as one to acclaim his quite stunning performance against Andrey Kuznetsov.
It was not perfect but, as John McEnroe remarked after the world No1 pinned a final forehand into the deuce corner for a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 first-round win against the Russian in just over two-and-a-half hours: “It’s looking a lot more promising than it did a week ago for Murray.”
A week ago, the world No1 was nursing a cold and feeling sorry for himself after a miserable clay-court lead-up to the second slam of the season. There was hardly a voice in the game who gave him a chance of getting out of the first week here, let alone reaching the final again. Now, he has reignited his season.
Courtesy: The Guardian