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Andy Murray and Joe Salisbusy Upset French Open Champions Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert at Tokyo Olympics 2020 Doubles

Published 07/24/2021, 1:30 AM EDT

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The much-awaited tennis event at the prestigious 2020 Tokyo Olympics began in fine fashion. Tennis enthusiasts from all around the world tuned in to watch some of the world’s best players battle it out. It thrilled fans to see their favorites, don the proud colors of their country and go head to head for gold. Even though the tournament promised some enthralling outings, it delivered more than expected. Fans were most ecstatic for the doubles event as Andy Murray once again graced the Olympic court.

Representing Great Britain, former Olympic Gold medalist, Andy Murray partnered with 29-year-old Joe Salisbury. The British duo faced French internationals, Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

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The game was off to a flying start, with both pairs looking ready to fight it out on the court. Andy Murray’s comeback was surely the highlight at the beginning of the game; however, the French Open champions soon stole the show with their exuberant display.

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First-set scare for the British pair

Right from the start of the game, the Brits looked sharp and exhibited finesse. With lethal attacking, they instantly put pressure on the French.

Andy’s experience clearly played an important part in establishing the Brit’s dominance over the game. However, it wasn’t long before the French came to the party.

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They held onto their nerves, making sure they do not give in to the mind games of the Brits. Counter-attacking the Brit aces, they tied the scores at 3-3 in the first set.

However, Andy used his experience to get the better of his counterparts and found the all-important service break in game eight of the set. Having fought hard for the lead, the Brit’s made sure they don’t let it slip and win the first set 6-3.

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Going into the second set, Andy and Joe clearly looked the better of the two teams. However, no different from the first set, the French started strong yet again.

Although, just when they grabbed the all-important lead in the first half of the set, the Brits once again snatched their upper hand and regained their dominance in the match.

They won 10 out of their 11 first serves and won 24 points, just halfway through their second set. Even though the stats looked even on paper, the result on the court said otherwise as Andy Murray and Joe Salisbury stunned the French Open champions, knocking them out in the first round of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The scoreline ended as 6-3, 6-2 in favor of the Brit’s.

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Andy Murray and his history with gold

Andy has had a wonderful history at the Olympic games, winning gold in consecutive outings. His most memorable final was against his home crowd at the 2021 London Olympics, as a young Andy beat the legendary Roger Federer in the finals to win his first gold ever.

Replicating the same, Andy won gold yet again at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Hence, fans are sure to back him for another successful Olympic Campaign.

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However, his road to the podium is far from easy and straightforward, as he comes on the back of just recovering from an injury. Regardless, the golden boy is sure to win hearts, putting vintage Andy on display.

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Written by:

Melroy Fernandes

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Melroy Joseph Fernandes is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. A Mass Media graduate, Melroy has been a content writer for the past 6 years, curating stories for several brands, starting from his own. At the age of 17, Melroy began his writing Journey with Team BIB, an event management company for everything Art and Entertainment.
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