Andy Murray admits being thrown off by change of opponent

ATP Tour

James Richardson
March 12, 2023

Andy Murray says that he felt an unusual nervousness before his match against Moldova’s Radu Albot at Indian Wells.

Murray was prepared to face 15th seed Pablo Carreno Busta but saw the Spaniard withdraw and instead faced a lucky loser in Albot.

He won 6-4 6-3 in one hour and 42 minutes but said that he was a little nervous at the start of the match.

“I felt very nervous today. I’m not sure exactly why,” Murray said in his on-court interview.

“Obviously I’ve played a lot of tennis coming in, maybe I saw it was an opportunity for me. Maybe wasn’t as well prepared.

“I’d gone over my strategy and everything with my team to play Carreno Busta and then found out late last night the change of opponent.

“We’d not played each other before, and maybe [I] thought it was a bit of an opportunity.

“Had lots of break points again, wasn’t quite able to get them. It was quite tricky conditions at the beginning, very windy. But I did well in the end to get through.”

Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz had a battle on his hands to keep his title defence alive as he downed Ben Shelton 4-6 6-4 6-3.

“He’s a really good player,” the world No. 5 said after the All-American Round of 64 clash.

“I expected him to come out serving well. He was playing well. He had nothing to lose so I did expect him to come out with a really high level.

“I think I was ready for it. I just had to regroup and find a way to problem-solve. He’s an incredible player, an extremely tough first match to play, so I’m happy to get through it.”

Holger Rune survived a windswept encounter with home hope Mackenzie McDonald.

Rune opened his Indian Wells campaign with a hard-earned 7-5, 6-3 win.

“It was very difficult. Super windy and actually the first time in my life that I even stepped out on this court,” Rune said after his win out on Stadium 2.

“Everything was tricky and Mackenzie is a tricky player as well, so I had to be there from the beginning. As I found my rhythm, I started feeling better, taking control of the points, which was part of the plan.

“In the second set I just felt like I was playing better and better, so I’m super happy.”

Rune faces Stan Wawrinka in the Round of 32.

“He’s a great player, has had a great career,” Rune said of his next opponent. “I’m just going to try to focus on myself and do everything I can to beat him.”

Andy Murray