Amused by the remark, Romesh asks the tennis ace to explain how their conversation came about.
“So were you having dinner or was it late one evening and you said, ‘Would you like it if I shaved my body from top to bottom?'”
Chuckling to himself Andy went into more detail.
“We’d probably been going through a bit of a dry spell and maybe I’d lost a bit of confidence,” he said.
Author: Andrea Tonks
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Andy Murray has indicated that he would consider his future in tennis if he was unable to find better form at Grand Slams than what he showed against Denis Shapovalov at Wimbledon in their third-round encounter. Murray came into this year’s Wimbledon having played little tennis after a number of injury issues.
A disappointing show at Queen’s left him with little match preparation for the start of Wimbledon.
And that rustiness showed at times in his first-round match against No 24 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Murray should have wrapped the win up in three sets after marching to a 5-0 lead in the third, only to suffer a collapse in form with his opponent forcing a fourth.
There was even more drama in his second-round match against Oscar Otte as Murray rolled back the years to record a miraculous comeback victory in five sets.
JUST IN: Novak Djokovic one step closer to Federer record with Wimbledon win
But both those matches saw Murray spend seven hours on the court through the opening two rounds.
Murray acknowledged in his post-match press conference after losing to Shapovalov in straight sets that spending that long on the courts put him at a disadvantage from the off.
Having played just a handful of matches over the past six months, Murray knew that preserving his body was key to any success he was going to have at Wimbledon.
And the two-time Wimbledon champion also conceded that to challenge someone like Shapovalov at this stage of his recovery, his game would “need to be spot-on”.
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While Murray walks away from Wimbledon – his first appearance in the grasscourt Grand Slam in the men’s singles since 2017 – with plenty of positives.
The 34-year-old also admits that he may well hold discussions on what his future will be if he’s unable to string a run of tournaments together to help improve his ranking.
“There is a part of me that feels a bit like I have put in so much work the last three months and, you know, ultimately didn’t play how I would want and expect, and it’s like is it worth it?” Murray said.
“Is all of that training and everything that you’re doing in the gym, you know, unless you’re able to like practice and, you know, improve your game and get matches and continue, get, you know, a run of tournaments, like, is it worth all of the work that you’re doing?
“You know, there is part of me that feels like, yes, it is, because I had, you know, great memories and stuff from this event and playing in some brilliant atmosphere.
“But then, also, I finished the match tonight and I’m saying to my team, I’m like, That’s just — yeah, I’m just not happy with how I played.
“So unless me and my team can find a way of keeping me on the court for, you know, a consistent period of time and allow me to practice the way that I need to to compete with these guys, then, yeah, then that’s when, you know, the discussions about what I do next will come in.
“Because I have genuinely put a lot into this to get to this point, but I’m not being able to practice and prepare how I need to to perform how I would like at these events.
“Like I said, I’m not expecting and saying, like, I would beat Denis Shapovalov. He’s a brilliant player. But I feel like I can do a lot better than what I did this evening.”
Author: Stuart Ballard
Read more here >>> Daily Express :: Sport
Shapovalov* 6-4 Murray
WHAT DRAMA! Shapovalov survives three break points which would have thrust Murray right back into contention for this first set.
As it turns out, it wasn’t to be. The two-time champion could not quite see it over the line and the Canadian takes a deserved one-set lead.
Shapovalov 5-4 Murray*
Momentum: regained. Murray holds serve to bring him to within one of the Canadian, although he still has it all to do if he is to take the lead.
Shapovalov* 5-3 Murray
That’s more like it from Murray! Not many saw that coming, a 40-0 break of serve which gives the Scot a lifeline as he tries to work his way back into this first set.
Shapovalov 5-2 Murray*
Finally, Murray is back on the board. That is his first game since the very first in the match. The first set now looks to be out of reach for the Scot, but he may as well try and regain some momentum heading into the second.
Shapovalov* 5-1 Murray
Murray has a good go at Shapovalov’s service game, but he could not quite do enough to knock him off his perch as he romps towards a one-set lead.
Shapovalov 4-1 Murray*
Even at this early stage, the crowd can sense that Murray needs some extra support. Unfortunately, their cries go unanswered as a series of top-class shots from Shapovalov seal his second consecutive break of serve after a long battle at deuce.
Shapovalov* 3-1 Murray
Shapovalov really is looking formiddable in the early exchanges. He pounces on his opportunity after the break of serve to take his service game without reply.
Shapovalov 2-1 Murray*
After racing into a 30-0 lead, Murray lost his grip on the game. Both men sat down as Murray’s miss looked to have handed Shapovalov a break, only to be ushered back onto the court when hawkeye revealed otherwise.
Still, the result did not change as the Canadian won a superb rally to give himself an advantage here in the early stages of the match.
Shapovalov* 1-1 Murray
Some extremely eye-catching work from Shapovalov, although he made hard work of drawing the first set level at one game apiece.
Murray became the latest victim of the court’s slippery surface during a tense battle at deuce.
Shapovalov 0-1 Murray*
A great start for Andy Murray who storms into a 1-0 lead. The crowd, understandably, are loving it!
(* indicates serve)
6pm: Andy Murray is hoping the Wimbledon grass, which has caused a number of injuries to players already this week, is less slippy than it has been.
“Yeah, it is slippy. And it’s not – it actually, it felt better today than it did when I played my first match, and hopefully it will continue to get better throughout the tournament,” Murray said after beating Otte.
“But I don’t remember it being quite like that. I know guys, you know, fall down a lot at the beginning of Queen’s, and it happens at Wimbledon, as well. That’s the nature of grass court tennis.
“But it just does feel like the way that players are falling down. Like, there was one where I ran back for a lob, and it was — yeah, it was close to being quite bad. I saw Isner fell and did a sort of similar thing like moving forwards today.
“Yeah, it’s just, yeah, you just don’t want it to be like that. Hopefully it dries out a little bit in the next few days. Some warmer weather I think would help with that. But it’s been a tough few days and a few players have obviously got hurt during matches, and a few have been lucky, me being one of them this evening.”
5.45pm: Good evening and welcome to Express Sport’s live coverage of Andy Murray’s Wimbledon clash with Denis Shapovalov.
The Scot needed four sets to knock out 24th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili in his opening match of the tournament.
German world No 151 Oscar Otte then pushed Murray the distance in the second round.
Tenth seed Shapovalov is expected to be a much sterner test than Murray’s previous opponents – but stay tuned to see if the three-time Grand Slam champion can produce another memorable display on Centre Court.
Author: Charlie Gordon
Read more here >>> Daily Express :: Sport
Teenage wildcard Emma Raducanu reached the Wimbledon third round on her Grand Slam debut on Thursday night – and then claimed it was like being on holiday. The Londoner, 18, won her first ever Tour-level match in the opening round just two months after finishing her A Levels.
And on Thursday evening Raducanu, who is world No 338, shocked former French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova 6-2, 6-4 on Court 12.
“I feel like I am on a holiday,” beamed Raducanu. “It is unbelievable. And I want to stay here as long as I can.
“Playing in front of a home crowd helps, the support is so loud, they are so behind me. I have that in the back of my mind.
“I have tried to play every point like it was my match point or the last point of Wimbledon. I have been playing that trick with myself.”
MUST READ: Andy Murray makes Wimbledon request for Denis Shapovalov clash
Andy Murray led the congratulations on social media as he tweeted “Let’s go @EmmaRaducanu”.
“I haven’t opened my phone yet and really grateful for the messages,” she added.
“I won’t be able to reply to all of them just yet. When I have downtime and I read those positives messages, it gives me a great feeling.”
Raducanu only sat her A Levels two months ago – and is now guaranteed to win at least £115,00. That quadruples here career earnings until now of £28,754.
And she will bank £181,000 if she reaches the fourth round with a win on Saturday.
Asked if she would rather get good exam results in maths and economics or reach the fourth round, she laughed: “Definitely the fourth round!”
Raducanu, whose father is from Bucharest, will now face Sorana Cirstea after the Romanian world No 45 beat Victoria Azarenka for the first time at the fifth attempt on a loud Court 1.
“I have to say I have been a professional since I was 16 years old but this was the best atmosphere I have ever had on a court.
“We have missed the public so much and today they helped me so much. I don’t think I have ever enjoyed a match like this.”
It is the first time since 2017 that four British players – Andy Murray, Jo Konta, Heather Watson and Aljaz Bedene – have reached the third round.
Author: Neil McLeman
This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: Sport
Andy Murray secured his spot in the third round of Wimbledon after seeing off Oscar Otte on Wednesday night in an absorbing encounter.
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This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: Sport Feed
The 34-year-old has progressed into the next round of Wimbledon after defeating German Oscar Otte in the second round yesterday. The match was a nail biter, with Murray taking the first set 6-3 before finding himself two sets to one down. But the Scotsman fought back to win, setting up a third round match against Canadian Denis Shapovalov tomorrow. The two-time Wimbledon winner has won fans across Great Britain with his performances at the tournament since making his first appearance in 2005.
However, Murray once fumed at the suggestion he “hates England” after he expressed his support for Scottish independence.
On the day of the Scottish independence referendum in 2014, Murray announced he would be voting Yes.
In March 2015, he explained why he came to the decision.
He said: “I was lying awake at night, I wanted to say something.
“My feeling is that Scotland is its own country. Every countr
Andy Murray news: Murray has won Wimbledon twice (Image: getty)
“The thing that irritates me the most is somehow you can’t be pro-independence and [pro-British]. When I compete for Great Britain, I love it. That’s a fact.”
However, Murray also revealed he had become frustrated with the suggestion he didn’t like England.
He continued: “The whole notion of me disliking English people is nonsense.
“I work with them on a regular basis, I’m going to marry one, my family-in-law is going to be English. I live here. It’s just nonsense.”
Andy Murray news: Murray supported independence (Image: getty)
Murray’s backing of independence was a rare political intervention from the British number one.
On Brexit, he was a lot less open with how he voted.
Two months before the EU referendum, Murray said he was staying quiet after the controversy his comments on independence had caused.
He said: “I haven’t really given it (Brexit) any thought at all. I’ve had a lot going on this year. I’ve just become a father a few weeks ago. That’s what’s been at the forefront of my thinking this year, rather than anything political.”
Murray was asked if he had any regrets about coming out in support of Scottish secession.
He responded: “I don’t regret giving an opinion. I think everyone should be allowed that. The way I did it, yeah, it wasn’t something I would do again.
Andy Murray news: Murray branded the Brexit debate ‘divisive’ (Image: getty)
Andy Murray news: Murray represents Great Britain (Image: getty)
“I think it was a very emotional day for a lot of Scottish people and the whole country and the whole of the UK, it was a big day.
“The way it was worded, the way I sent it, that’s not really in my character and I don’t normally do stuff like that.”
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other reporters in 2019, Murray said Brexit had been divisive
He said: “Right now everything is unbelievably divisive. There is no middle ground any more.
“You have your view, someone on their other side has another view, and you cannot see a compromise on either side.
“I don’t think that’s a good way to enter into any kind of discussion about anything, certainly not something as important as the future of Britain.
“When there’s a referendum, if it’s 51-49 or 54-46, it’s not big enough, it’s not clear enough.
“It should be a much bigger percentage to change something, so you know that’s really the direction the country wants to go in.”
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This post originally appeared on Daily Express
Viewers were not the only ones hooked on Kim’s reactions during the game.
Zoe Ball spoke on her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show about watching Kim reacting to Andy last night.
She said: “I felt quite emotional watching Kim last night and Judy watching.”
Zoe continued: “When he went down and he looked like he’d put his hip out, you could see Kim was visibly shaking.
“It’s tough for them to watch but well done indeed.”
Author: Fay Watson
This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: Celebrity News Feed
Murray took the first two sets, then breezed into a 5-0 lead in the third against Georgia’s 24th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.
But with a smooth path to the second round seemingly there for the taking, Murray suffered a third-set collapse as he lost seven games in a row to lose the set.
The tournament organisers then decided the players should take a break while the Centre Court roof was closed.
And, after the players emerged, it was Murray who looked the more revitalised as he broke immediately and battled past his man to claim a 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 win in front of an enthralled Centre Court crowd.
Speaking after his hard-fought, gruelling victory, Murray said he was just happy to put his injury woes behind him and be back on the hallowed grass of SW19 again.
“Yeah, it’s amazing to be back out here playing again on Centre Court,” he said.
“It’s such a brilliant atmosphere and something since I came back to play the last eight, nine months I really missed playing in front of the fans.
“It was an amazing reception when I came out, and a great atmosphere for the whole match, so thanks for that.
“I did well to win the fourth set in the end because that was mentally not easy going back to the locker room after losing that third (set), so I did well.
Murray they explained how he managed to refresh himself during the break after looking physically and mentally spent at the end of a remarkable third set.
Murray then explained the mental battle of being away from competitive tennis for so long as he battled his way back to fitness ahead of this summer’s Wimbledon championships.
“It’s been extremely tough, even these last few months,” he said.
“I didn’t have the most serious of injuries, but it’s been extremely frustrating not being about to get on the court and I’ve had such little momentum over these last few years.
“I just kept trying, kept working hard in the gym, kept doing all the right things to get me back in this position. And I feel very lucky I get to do it again.”
And the Scot laid to rest any concerns about his tennis future as he told the Centre Court crowd, as well as the huge global television audience, that he has no intention of hanging up his racquet just yet.
“I keep getting asked is this going to be my last Wimbledon, my last match,” he said.
“I dunno why I keep getting asked about it.
“No! I’m gonna keep playing. I want to play. I’m enjoying it and I can still play at the highest level.
“I mean, he’s ranked 28 in the world and I’ve hardly played any match and I beat him, so I’ll keep going.”
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This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: Sport Feed
His devastation was clear to see as he was denied a dream Wimbledon victory in a match which, after the first set, looked to be on the cards.
Thankfully for Murray, the sting was taken out of the defeat weeks later when he defeated Federer in straight sets to win an Olympic gold medal at London 2012.
He also ended his Wimbledon drought just one year later by ruthlessly disposing of Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
As of today, the Scot has a total of three Grand Slams under his belt, the most recent of which being his second Wimbledon victory in 2016.
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This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: Sport Feed
Wimbledon returns after an absence in 2020 because of the Covid pandemic and keeps with the tradition of the men’s defending champions kicking things off on Centre Court. Novak Djokovic will get proceedings underway against young Brit Jack Draper, but 2019 women’s winner Simona Halep will skip the tournament due to injury so Sloane Stephens takes on Petra Kvitova second on the main stage. Play is completed with Andy Murray making his return to the singles draw.
(all times in BST)
Centre Court
13:30: (1) Novak Djokovic (Ser) v Jack Draper (Gbr), Sloane Stephens (USA) v (10) Petra Kvitova (Cze), Andy Murray (Gbr) v (24) Nikoloz Basilashvili (Geo)
Court 1
13:00: Monica Niculescu (Rom) v (2) Aryna Sabalenka (Blr), (3) Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) v Frances Tiafoe (USA), (7) Iga Swiatek (Pol) v Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe)
Court 2
11:00: Fiona Ferro (Fra) v (11) Garbine Muguruza (Spa), Federico Delbonis (Arg) v (5) Andrey Rublev (Rus), (22) Dan Evans (Gbr) v Feliciano Lopez (Spa), Mihaela Buzarnescu (Rom) v Venus Williams (USA)
Court 3
11:00: Katie Swan (Gbr) v (23) Madison Keys (USA), Xin Yu Wang (Chn) v (4) Sofia Kenin (USA), Marco Cecchinato (Ita) v Liam Broady (Gbr), (10) Denis Shapovalov (Can) v Philipp Kohlschreiber (Ger)
Court 4
11:00: Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera (Chi) v Kevin Anderson (Rsa), Varvara Gracheva (Rus) v (26) Petra Martic (Cro), (22) Jessica Pegula (USA) v Caroline Garcia (Fra), Pierre-Hugues Herbert (Fra) v Pablo Andujar (Spa
Court 5
11:00: Jodie Burrage (Gbr) v Lauren Davis (USA), MacKenzie McDonald (USA) v (25) Karen Khachanov (Rus), Dusan Lajovic (Ser) v Gilles Simon (Fra)
Court 6
11:00: Polona Hercog (Slo) v Danielle Collins (USA), Roberto Carballes Baena (Spa) v Vasek Pospisil (Can), Soon Woo Kwon (Kor) v Daniel Masur (Ger)
Court 7
11:00: Denis Kudla (USA) v (30) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Spa), Marie Bouzkova (Cze) v Vera Zvonareva (Rus), Ann Li (USA) v Nadia Podoroska (Arg), (21) Ons Jabeur (Tun) v Rebecca Peterson (Swe)
Court 8
11:00: (32) Ekaterina Alexandrova (Rus) v Laura Siegemund (Ger), Oscar Otte (Ger) v Arthur Rinderknech (Fra), Pablo Cuevas (Uru) v Laslo Djere (Ser)
Court 9
11:00: Maria Camila Osorio Serrano (Col) v Anna Kalinskaya (Rus), Pedro Martinez Portero (Spa) v Stefano Travaglia (Ita), Donna Vekic (Cro) v Anastasia Potapova (Rus)
Court 10
11:00: Andreas Seppi (Ita) v Joao Sousa (Por), Lloyd George Harris (Rsa) v Ricardas Berankis (Lit), Ludmilla Samsonova (Rus) v Kaia Kanepi (Est)
Court 11
11:00: Facundo Bagnis (Arg) v Miomir Kecmanovic (Ser), Irina-Camelia Begu (Rom) v Katie Volynets (USA), Tereza Martincova (Cze) v (28) Alison Riske (USA), Zhizhen Zhang (Chn) v Antoine Hoang (Fra)
Court 12
11:00: John Millman (Aus) v (8) Roberto Bautista Agut (Spa), Christopher O’Connell (Aus) v (13) Gael Monfils (Fra), (8) Karolina Pliskova (Cze) v Tamara Zidansek (Slo), (15) Maria Sakkari (Gre) v Arantxa Rus (Ned)
Court 14
11:00: Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) v Lesley Kerkhove (Ned), (27) Reilly Opelka (USA) v Dominik Koepfer (Ger), Kristina Mladenovic (Fra) v (18) Elena Rybakina (Kaz), Sebastian Korda (USA) v (15) Alex De Minaur (Aus)
Court 15
11:00: (29) Veronika Kudermetova (Rus) v Viktorija Golubic (Swi), Misaki Doi (Jpn) v Claire Liu (USA), Marc Polmans (Aus) v Yen-Hsun Lu (Tpe), Shelby Rogers (USA) v Samantha Stosur (Aus)
Court 16
11:00: Jiri Vesely (Cze) v Yannick Hanfmann (Ger), Madison Brengle (USA) v Christina McHale (USA), (17) Christian Garin (Chi) v Bernabe Zapata Miralles (Spa)
Court 17
11:00: Danielle Lao (USA) v Katie Boulter (Gbr), Egor Gerasimov (Blr) v Jay Clarke (Gbr), (9) Diego Sebastian Schwartzman (Arg) v Benoit Paire (Fra), Lin Zhu (Chn) v Mona Barthel (Ger)
Court 18
11:00: Marton Fucsovics (Hun) v (19) Jannik Sinner (Ita), Kristie Ahn (USA) v Heather Watson (Gbr), (26) Fabio Fognini (Ita) v Albert Ramos-Vinolas (Spa), (13) Elise Mertens (Bel) v Harriet Dart (Gbr)
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