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“Always the Same Slow Start”: Andy Murray Shouts at His Box During Denis Shapovalov Clash at Wimbledon

Published 07/02/2021, 3:51 PM EDT

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via Reuters

Former British No.1 Andy Murray let his frustrations show after losing the opening set of his ongoing third-round clash against big-hitting Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

Despite serving at 44% and an abysmal 30% at one point, Shapovalov profited on Murray unforced errors and took the first set 6-4.

After dropping the opening set, Murray turned to his box, screaming, “Always the same, slow start!”.

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Falling 1-5 behind, the three-time Grand Slam champion did well to reduce his deficit in the first set 4-5. He had three breakpoints in the next game to level the score, but failed to cash in on any of them.

The Scot, meanwhile, was at the center of the latest tumbling episode at the Centre Court at Wimbledon on Friday.

Andy Murray took a tumble on Centre Court against Denis Shapovalov

Murray took two nasty falls on the slippery grass during the opening set of his ongoing third-round encounter against big-hitting Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

The Centre Court has been the focus of attention at this year’s Championships with a growing list of players to have taken a tumble on it.

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The players to have slipped on the Centre Court grass include World No.1 Novak Djokovic and 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.

Serena’s fall in her tournament opener against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus brought an early and tearful end to her campaign.

Though she returned from a medical timeout after the fall, Serena sank to his knees after experiencing sharp pain while delivering a serve.

Barely able to stand on her feet, she was helped off the court to a standing ovation from the crowd.

However, the exit did raise uncomfortable questions on the state of the surface at Centre Court.

Another mid-match retirement came in the form of Adrian Mannarino after the Frenchman took a fall in the first-round encounter against Roger Federer.

The Frenchman, who was down two sets to one at the time, conceded the match after it was determined that he won’t be able to continue.

Serena Williams retired after taking a nasty fall at Centre Court

Speaking on the Serena incident and the other tumbles on Centre Court, Federer was quoted as telling reporters that the surface appeared more slippery under the roof.

Amid the unfriendly media chatter on the incidents, the Wimbledon organizers released a statement blaming the wet weather at the start of the tournament for the slips.

“The weather conditions on the opening two days have been the wettest we have experienced in almost a decade, which has required the roof to be closed on Centre Court and No.1 court for long periods,” read the statement.

via Reuters

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It added that each grass court is, by rule, checked by the Grand Slam supervisors, referee’s office and grounds team before the start of play.

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However, it did little to drown the chatter around the playing surface at the Centre Court.

 

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Written by:

Priyabrata Chowdhury

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Priyabrata Chowdhury is a tennis author for EssentiallySports. He has been a print journalist for a decade, producing news pages for leading national dailies such as the Hindustan Times and The New Indian Express. His passion for sports eventually drove him to tennis writing.
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