"Not much fun to play, it wasn't very competitive" - Murray on match after Kyrgios outburst
ATP
Andy Murray spoke about his match against Nick Kyrgios in the semi-finals of the 2022 Stuttgart Open after beating the Australian.
The fans certainly anticipated a great match between two great grass-court players, but it lasted a bit shorter than expected. The first set ended in a tie-break, which Murray won 7-5.
However, in the second set, Kyrgios received a point penalty and later also a game penalty and didn't put much effort into the rest of the match. As a result, Murray won the match easily in two sets 7-6(5), 6-2.
Although Murray was certainly happy about reaching the final, he wasn't too happy about the second set. Speaking after the match, he admitted that it didn't feel like a match to him.
"The second set was not much fun to play, it was not very competitive. It wasn't really a match. He started well but closer to the end he got frustrated. The first set was tough and the end of the first set was the crucial part of the match."
"You expect things to happen against him, so I'm not surprised when they do. It was a very frustrating set for him to lose and he broke a racquet."
"He also had a back-and-forth with the umpire, and something seemed to happen in the crowd. But I didn't really hear anything after the first set."
Already during the first-set tie-break, Murray knew that it might be the crucial moment of the match. It was decided by only a couple of points, and the British player was happy that he stayed calm during the tie-break.
"I was just a little more solid in the tie-break. I asked the questions. On these courts, when it is playing quick, the set often comes down to one or two points and I was a little more secure at the end of the first set."
"It has been a long time since the last final [on grass]. A lot of ups and downs, but I kept going and kept working and finally managed to get to another one. I am proud of the effort I have put in."
