As you would expect, Andy Murray is the talk of London today. The Daily Mail calls him "King Andy." Metro (and others) call him "Braveheart." "Mighty Murray," says The Sun; "Incredible Hulk," shouts the "Daily Mirror." There are innumerable photos of a charged up Murray standing at the edge of the crowd after his dramatic running backhand to win the third set, and of his flexed bicep (a bit too choreographed for my taste, you?) in darkness after he sent Richard Gasquet to perhaps the worst of his many awful defeats.
I feel a bit of sympathy for Gasquet. He did choke, just as Andy Roddick choked against Gasquet last year when he, too, led by two sets and a break of serve. But if you're looking for hope--and if you are a Gasquet fan, you'll probably latch onto anything at this point--remember the two points he played when serving to stay in the match at 30-40 with Murray leading 5-3. It was 9:25 p.m. at that point, and Centre Court was dark, certainly dark enough to suspend the match under normal circumstances. (I'm glad the tournament let play continue, because the darkness affected both men equally and because momentum--that ever-important component of every tennis match--is a force that players work hard to turn in their favor. It's an earned advantage, just as much as a good approach shot.)
But back to the match. Gasquet played serve and volley (especially risky in the dark) and hit a good first volley and then a soft forehand volley off a weak reply (just the sort of shot a player feeling the pressure might miss, for the simple reason there is too time to think about not missing). At deuce, he charged the net again. When Murray threw up a good topspin lob, Gasquet backpedaled, leaped, and snapped an overhead winner. The ball was behind him and he had to hit it over his left shoulder. Under the best of circumstances--an opening set on a bright day with no sun in your eyes--it would have been a magnificent shot. Under these circumstances, it could have been career defining. That is, if he had come back to win. Maybe next time?
With that, I'll catalogue some adventures from around the grounds (and in the interview rooms):
Fatherhood: Lleyton Hewitt and his wife, the actress Bec Cartwright, are expecting their second child. Here's what Hewitt had to say:
Q: "How does it feel becoming a dad for the second time?"
Hewitt: "Yeah, good. Thanks."
Q: "Is the baby due in January?"
Hewitt: "I'm not sure."
I saw Hewitt in the village this morning, talking to Tony Roche and John Newcombe outside of a coffee shop. He seemed to have all his limbs.
New Queen of Fault? Elena Dementieva double faulted once in her 6-2, 6-1 fourth-round victory over Shahar Peer (Dementieva, incredibly, is the highest seeded player remaining). Alisa Kleybanova double faulted seven times in her first four service games against Venus Williams. Perhaps the cursed baton has been passed from one Russian to another?
Throwing darts: That's what I'm reminded of when I watch Tamarine Tanasugarn serve (she also goes by Tammy and TT). She doesn't bend her knees and swings so hard that her head snaps forward as she falls into the court. Amazing that her shoulder has survived all these years on the tour (she's 31).
Three Cheers for Minnesota: I was impressed with Minnesota native Bethanie Mattek this week. Point after point against Serena Williams, she hustled and tried every shot she could think of. Mattek kept up the effort until the last point, when Serena ran her around the court with angles and a drop volley. Players often tell the press that they are working harder off the court, that they are in better shape, etc., etc. Mattek said as much this week, but proved it on the court, too. Here's hoping good results continue to come her way.
Jeers for Spain? Fernando Verdasco could not follow Rafael Nadal and Feliciano Lopez into the quarterfinals despite leading Mario Ancic two sets to one and 4-1 in the fourth set. Credit to Ancic, but a bad loss for Verdasco.
Too Much Tennis? I wouldn't have expected Zheng Jie and Yan Zi, the 2006 Wimbledon doubles champions, to lose their third-round match to Ekaterina Makarova and Selima Sfar. Less likely, though, was Zheng's advancement to the singles quarterfinals. Perhaps success at both has been too taxing?
Dispatches: Here's some additional reading for you.
Jelena Jankovic lost on Court 18 and then gave the local papers a lot to write about.
Times tennis correspondent Neil Harman gives us this fine piece on Justine Henin, whom he visited in Belgium…
…and here's his take on Murray's muscles.
If you were scared by Rafael Nadal's slip early in his match against Mikhail Youzhny, you'll find this article from Richard Evans, in The Observer, interesting.
The latest book by Bud Collins, "The Bud Collins History of Tennis," can be found here.
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