As Andy Murray and Radek Stepanek met at the net to shake hands after Murray’s harrowing five-set victory, a tired Stepanek reached out to hug his opponent, a rare gesture for a first-round match.
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Murray battled past the 37-year-old Stepanek 3-6, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 after play was held over from Monday when the match was suspended due to darkness.
Murray’s physicality and positive energy was matched stroke for stroke by Stepanek’s creativity and sublime volleys for most of a tense, dramatic fifth set.
Second seed Murray stunned Novak Djokovic to win the Rome Masters the weekend before last, but he struggled mightily against the crafty Stepanek on Court Phillipe Chatrier.
He will play Mathias Bourgue in the second round. “Well, it’s not the first time that I’m experiencing such anticipation and expectations”, the 11-times grand slam champion told reporters. “I am just pleased to have got through”, he said during a court-side interview.
“Me and Amelie have a good relationship”, said the 2013 Wimbledon champion, whose alliance with Mauresmo two years ago created a buzz after he became the first high-profile male player to hire a woman coach.
The Scot took his third set point to win the fourth set 6-3 to send this first-round grudge match into a decider after two hours and 30 minutes. Murray won with two painful points from Stepanek. Karlovic continues to rely on his service game, as he now has a ridiculous 72 aces in two matches and has won no less than 83 percent of his first serve points. “Obviously people wonder if this is the year or not, and I wonder myself”.
Andy Murray will resume his first-round match against Radek Stepanek at the French Open on Tuesday looking to complete another epic grand slam comeback.
Eventually, a double fault contributed to Murray taking the only break of the match to give him the opportunity to serve for victory.
But now, Murray says it’s baloney to think that his passionate outbursts are the reason the two went their separate ways, and that the split has been nothing but calm and collected.
“I was not able to dictate play at all and that is credit to him”.
Mauresmo had indicated that the union ended because she felt she could not “take things further anymore” with Murray before adding: “Andy is complex”.
But the world number two was a man transformed in the remaining passage of play, and will strongly fancy himself to progress with conditions forecast to be less gloomy around the French capital on Tuesday.
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The elegant Richard Gasquet saw off Thomaz Bellucci 6-1 6-3 6-5, while Jeremy Chardy got the better of Leonardo Mayer 6-4 3-6 6-4 6-2 and Adrian Mannarino beat Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4 2-6 6-2 6-4.
