Andy Murray yesterday completed an extraordinary comeback in an epic Wimbledon quarter-final – winning the last three sets after losing the first two of his encounter with Fernando Verdasco.
The British number one beat the 29-year-old Spaniard – known as the Muscles of Madrid – on Centre Court as he continued his bid to go one better than last year and win the tournament.But after a Wimbledon full of slip-ups, Murray, 26, had to be in top form to progress after losing the first two sets 6-3 6-4. He fought back to claim the third set 6-1, the fourth 6-4 and the fifth 7-5.Murray had gone down 6-4 in his second set to the Spaniard – putting Verdasco up 2-0 in sets – and retired to his chair before screaming: ‘What the f*** are you doing? What the f*** are you doing?’.
BBC commentator Andrew Castle made an apology for the audible remarks – saying the broadcaster apologised for the language, but added he could understand the frustration felt by the British star.Kim Sears suffered along with the rest of the UK as her boyfriend went two sets down before emerging the victor against unseeded Verdasco after three-and-a-half nailbiting hours.She grimaced and gasped in horror as Murray made a series of blunders in the first half of the match.But as he clawed his way back into contention she jumped up and punched the air in delight, shouting: ‘Whoo!, come on!’
When the Centre Court crowd rose as one as Murray finally secured victory she collapsed back in her seat in relief and was seen mouthing: ‘Get in’.Minutes after the match, 25-year-old Miss Sears was herself cheered by the Wimbledon crowds as she ran through the All England Club on her way to congratulate her boyfriend.Murray’s mother, Judy, who had looked on anxiously throughout the match, was seen punching the air as Murray broke Verdasco’s serve and prepared to serve for the match.The win means Murray remains on course to become the first British player to lift the men’s Wimbledon trophy since Fred Perry in 1936.
Murray last night paid tribute to the Centre Court crowd after earlier in the week saying he missed the ‘raucous’ atmosphere at the All England Club when he won gold at the London Olympics.He said: ‘I love it when it’s like that. It was extremely noisy. They were right into it pretty much every single point. It was good today, especially when I went behind.’
Roars also echoed across Murray Mount – formerly known as Henman Hill – where thousands of people packed on to the steep bank to watch the Scot fight to victory.Security guards battled to keep walkways clear as fans clutching Union Flags battled for space.Mandy Stapleton, 51, from Teddington, west London, described the experience as ‘absolutely amazing’.
She said: ‘We were worried he was going to lose but he did it. Wow! We hope he can get through and win, we hope he can do it. This is his best chance this year.’Miss Sears had deviated from her usual safe choice of outfit with an edgier style yesterday. She teamed a bright coral blazer with black and white floral trousers as she took her seat to watch her boyfriend play.Mandy Stapleton, 51, from Teddington, west London, described the experience as ‘absolutely amazing’.
She said: ‘We were worried he was going to lose but he did it. Wow! We hope he can get through and win, we hope he can do it. This is his best chance this year.’Miss Sears had deviated from her usual safe choice of outfit with an edgier style yesterday. She teamed a bright coral blazer with black and white floral trousers as she took her seat to watch her boyfriend play.The Home Counties girl is known for her love of combining designer gear with high street fashion, wearing a £49.99 Zara dress earlier in the week.
Murray will now face 24th seed Jerzy Janowicz in tomorrow’s semi-finals, after the Pole beat his compatriot Lukasz Kubot on Court One.The other semi-final is between top seed Novak Djokovic and eighth seed Juan Martin del Potro.Verdasco was widely tipped to lose to Murray – but he does have one advantage over the British player. – Dailymail
