Andy Murray said he was surprised his momentous fourth-round match against Stanislas Wawrinka was played under the Centre Court roof. Murray won 2-6 6-3 6-3 5-7 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals. However, he said: "It was dry when we were warming up outside and I was expecting to play without the roof." The British number one and number three seed also complained that he had not been given enough warning that the match would be played indoors. "In very few sports would coaches and teams be particularly happy if they don't know exactly what time they're going to kick off or what the conditions are going to be like when they go out there," he stated.
"When you haven't experienced something before it is tough to know how it's going to play." Murray conceded the humid conditions had caused him problems. "I'd never played a grass-court match indoors before and it made a difference," he confirmed. "It's very, very heavy and I was sweating so much. When I finished it was like I'd been in a bath. "Both of us were trying to get white towels from the locker room because your hands were drenched. When I finished it was like I'd been in a bath, it was very, very humid. "It slowed it down a lot and I struggled to serve because it wasn't coming off the strings that quickly. There were a lot more rallies and I got a lot less free points off my serve when it did go in. "You can really swing very hard at the ball and it can go in the net or doesn't really go anywhere." Murray, who will play wildcard Juan Carlos Ferrero in the last eight, added: "I like playing indoors and going into the next match I'll know what to expect if the roof comes on. "But for two-and-a-half sets of the match I played great tennis, it's just that it took me a little while to get used to it."
Wawrinka admitted the defeat was hard to take but backed Murray to go all the way to the final. "He's playing very well and I think he's good for the rest of the tournament," said the Swiss after the match, which ended at 2238 BST, the latest finish in Wimbledon's history. "He's ready but you shouldn't forget the other players. Roger Federer is still there and I think it could be a very nice final." The 24-year-old added: "It was a tough match and to lose is very bad for me. I tried everything to win the match but it was not enough. "It was very special, it was a nice atmosphere on Centre Court, with all the fans, and I enjoyed the match a lot but for sure I'm very sad afterwards. "In the second game of the final set he broke me when I was 40-0. I was playing very good, I was in the match and I was hoping to do better in the fifth set." Looking ahead to Wednesday's quarter-final clash with Ferrero, former British number one Tim Henman told BBC Sport that Murray would be the clear favourite.
"They played each other at Queen's in the semi-final a fortnight or so and Murray took him apart," said Henman. "He'll show the Spaniard the respect he deserves, of course, but I just don't think Ferrero has the game to hurt Andy. "Where Wawrinka has the power and the strength in his shots, Ferrero doesn't have that. "It was important for Andy to get through, of course, but to get through tonight could also be crucial. "The fact that the roof and the floodlights allowed him to finish could be vital because now he has a full day off tomorrow to rest and recuperate ahead of the quarter-final. "If he'd had to come back tomorrow to finish off he wouldn't have got what might just be crucial recovery time." | Advertisement  see also |
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