Player: Andy Murray
Age: 24
Nation: United Kingdom
Current Ranking: 4
Today's Result: lost to Rafael Nadal (1st seed, Spain) in straight sets
Photo via The Tennis Server
I have made no secret of the fact that Murray is not my favorite player. But I think he deserves an enormous amount of credit for the performance he turned in at Roland Garros. After reaching the finals of the Australian Open, Murray had a miserable stretch, losing his first match in each of the next three tournaments. His clay season, on the other hand, has been pretty good, reaching the semis in both Monte Carlo and Rome. This was his first time making the semis at the French and his fourth round tangle with Viktor Troicki (15th, Serbia) was a particularly grueling task. In a match played over two days, Murray had to come back from two sets down for the win. Granted, I didn't watch the match and was thus spared any shoulder-slumping from the Scot in the first two sets. Nonetheless, it's exactly the sort of situation in which he would have packed it in a few years ago. No more. It's nice to see. Wimbledon's right around the corner. The annual pressure will be on soon.
What remains to be said about the Federer/Djokovic tilt today? What a match! What a moment! I followed most of the action via online scoreboard but once my classes were over for the day, I turned on the video feed for the glorious end. Fed is alive and well, playing the role of gatekeeper today and marvelously. Dare we hope for more of the same on Sunday?
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