Oscar Otte draws inspiration from ‘huge icon’ Andy Murray, but there will be no tears on Centre Court
Oscar Otte was moved to tears by Andy Murray’s physical struggles but will try to end the Scot’s Wimbledon comeback on Centre Court on Wednesday.
German Otte’s first-round clash with fellow qualifier Arthur Rinderknech was suspended on Monday night at 9-9 in the fifth set and the pair waited most of Tuesday before resuming.
And it was Otte, making his Wimbledon debut, who held his nerve to win only the second deciding tie-break in All England Club history, coming through 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 13-12 (7-2).
The 27-year-old did not initially realise he had won having thought the tie-break was to 10 points rather than seven, and he said: “First of all I’m just happy to be through. I was just waiting the whole day. It was mentally very tough.
“With my ranking, you don’t have the options to have big matches like this, and I’m just really looking forward for the whole day tomorrow.”
Otte has followed Murray’s battle to recover from hip resurfacing surgery, with the 34-year-old playing singles at Wimbledon for the first time since 2017.
“Of course he’s huge in tennis,” said the German. “When I watched his documentary (Andy Murray: Resurfacing, which came out in 2019), actually, I was crying.
“It was so emotional and so inspiring. I’m probably talking for other players, too. He’s just a huge icon in the sport.
“It will be a pretty big match. The crowd probably won’t be on my side, but that’s OK for me, of course. I have my coach here, my girlfriend, I think it can be enough, but we will see.
“Everybody knows he’s one of the best tennis players ever and, when he gets in control of his body, I think everybody knows he can still beat the top guys and come far in tournaments.”
Otte is ranked down at 151 but led by two sets to love against Alexander Zverev in the first round of the French Open before losing in five.
❤️ this sport.
R1 ✅
💪😅#AMC pic.twitter.com/7GJoKCVkJ5
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) June 28, 2021
He believes that experience can help him against Murray, saying: “The first two and a half sets were probably the best sets of my whole life. I was playing unreal.
“I was talking a lot with my team afterwards, and we were trying to figure out why it wasn’t enough in the end. Of course Sascha, he’s also an unreal player. Even though I lost against Sascha, I think for tomorrow I will be better prepared.”
The key for Murray will be how well he has recovered physically from the drama of his four-set win over Nikoloz Basilashvili.
It was a positive sign that the Scot was on the practice schedule on Tuesday having recalled what happened the last time he reached the second round of a grand slam at the US Open last summer with a five-set victory over Yoshihito Nishioka.
He said: “I actually did pretty well in the first round against Nishioka and felt fine that evening, and then I woke up the next day and could barely walk. My groin was really painful and I didn’t recover from that match at all.”
Murray is looking to reach the third round of a slam for the first time since limping through to the Wimbledon quarter-finals four years ago.
Follow us on Twitter @T365Official and like our Facebook page.
Latest
-
ATP Tour
Carlos Alcaraz forced to accept brutal reality as he slumps to shock Miami Open defeat
Carlos Alcaraz could have no complaints as he was forced to accept the brutal reality that he was beaten by a better player.
-
Tennis News
Alexander Zverev just happy to be back competing against the best
Alexander Zverev has said that he savours being competitive in big tournaments.
-
Tennis News
WTA star announces that she is expecting a baby girl
Alison Riske-Amritraj will be having a daughter.
-
ATP Tour
Jannik Sinner breaks new ground for an Italian player with $20 million milestone
Jannik Sinner will become the first Italian player to bank $20 million in ATP Tour prize money after the Miami Open.
-
Tennis News
Carlos Alcaraz identifies key Grigor Dimitrov threat as he seeks revenge in Miami showdown
Carlos Alcaraz and Grigor Dimitrov have looked ahead to their Miami Open match.
-
WTA Tour
Charleston Open hand former No 1 wildcard to start her clay season
Wildcards were forthcoming for former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki, world No 13 Beatriz Haddad Maia, and Charleston-native Shelby Rogers.
-
Tennis News
Former world No 1 weighs in on Iga Swiatek’s ‘aura’ as he makes ‘intimidating’ claim
“The more accomplishments Iga Swiatek has, the more intimidating it is to play her.”
-
WTA Tour
Naomi Osaka’s clay swing fills out with Rouen wildcard
Naomi Osaka gets Rouen wildcard to kickstart her clay swing.
-
WTA Tour
Danielle Collins balks at being asked to explain retirement
Danielle Collins has responded to those who question why she has decided to retire from tennis at the end of the current season.
-
Tennis News
‘Novak Djokovic’s problem is psychological’, assesses Roger Federer’s former coach
“Undoubtedly, ‘Nole’ must have fire inside, otherwise he is missing something.”