ANDY MURRAY may have cut a disgruntled figure around the practise courts of Perth this week but he banished the blues in fine style to get Britain off to a winning start in the Hopman Cup with a 2-1 victory over France.
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| Andy Murray and Heather Watson enjoying themselves during the victory over France in the Hopman Cup |
Murray was far too good for the 6'7 Kenny De Schepper in the day's opening singles, exploiting the giant Frenchman's lack of agility to win 6-2, 6-2.
"He's a big guy and when those players impose themselves on you it's tough but if you can get them moving around, it's tricky for them," Murray said. "It's quite a quick surface here so if you can get the first strike in the rallies it's easy to stay on top of the point. I forced myself to do that and come forward and it worked well."
Heather Watson lost to Caroline Garcia in three sets, but Murray's quality proved decisive in the deciding mixed doubles which they won 6-2, 5-7, 10-6 against De Schepper and Garcia to set up a match with Australia on Wednesday.
Murray was satisfied with his tennis after some distinctly ropey practise sessions after arriving in North Australia a few days ago. "I've been really struggling," he revealed. "I never play my best tennis in practise but I just haven't been hitting well at all. It's really important for me to get to Australia early because the heat can be brutal, but I felt much better today."
Murray appeared to be clutching at his back a number of times during his win over De Schepper but he said it's simply the rigours of a particularly intense off season.
"People assume you're well rested in the first week of the year but it's actually the opposite," he explained. "You train very hard in December and when you come to the match court you find you're moving a bit quicker, the intensity's a bit higher and everything's a bit stiff and sore. The first match back is the toughest physically so it's definitely nothing to worry about."
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