More than 24 hours after his agonized US Open first round victory over Robin Haase, Andy Murray is still trying to discover reasons why the majority of his body was wracked with cramp after less than an hour and a half.
Two days previously Murray maintained he was in the best physical shape hed been in since the prelude to winning Wimbledon in July 2013. Hed completed a lengthy training block, working out in his American base of Miami where the heat and humidity are more intense than the distinctly warm New York conditions that have blessed the first two days of the US Open.
The priority is to try to find out what actually happened, what the reasons were for it, said Murray. Its been suggested that maybe nervous tension can create cramp.
It can, but if its nerves, it tends to go away. I didnt feel particularly nervous before the match. Ive been a lot more nervous before Grand Slam finals. It was weird.
Murray was in such pain he lost nine games in a row at one stage in the third and fourth set against Haase and looked in real danger of his earliest Grand Slam defeat since 2008. But the Dutchman also suffered mobility problems with an injured foot and Murray finally won 6-3,7-6,1-6,7-5 after three hours and eight minutes.
I was lucky to come through, I could easily be on the plane home, said Murray who only had a light practice yesterday and spent the rest of the day trying to find some physical answers without much success.
It can be a combination of a number of things or it might be one thing in particular, so I just need to do all the right things,” he said.
“I don’t play my next match until Thursday so I’ll have time to hydrate and get enough fluid in the body, and eat as best I can.”
Murray has time before facing German qualifier Matthias Bachinger in the second round and is likely to consult a nutritionist today. It was cramping, so it’s obviously difficult to play because your limbs don’t function, he said.
With the training I do in Miami, the conditions are more challenging than they are here. I dont know why it happened. Its strange. I would always eat bananas if I was struggling with cramp. They’re good. They have a lot of potassium.
Topics: Andy Murray, Robin Haase, Tennis, tennis cramps, US Open
@andy_murray IS SEARCHING CAUSE OF SEVERE CRAMPS DURING MATCH, HAS HE LOST WEIGHT? DID HE OVERTRAIN? http://t.co/XV2mapHxcR #tennis #USOpen