A dejected Andy Murray expressed concern over his inability to break opponents ahead of Wimbledon after crashing out of the Stuttgart Open first round. Murray admitted his grass game “needs to improve” immediately as his once world-beating ability to return service deserted him on Monday night.
The two-time All England Club champion will look to rediscover form next week at Queen’s after losing 6-3, 6-4 to American Marcos Giron, the world number 54. “I haven’t broken serve for a few matches and that’s usually a strength of mine,” said the former No 1, acknowledging concerns.
This summer is all-but-certain to be Murray’s last Wimbledon and he said on Monday night that he is “not 100 per cent sure” whether he will appear for Team GB in Paris, potentially as part of doubles pairing. “My game needs to improve, the level of tennis on the tour is high. I need to play better if I want to win more matches,” Murray said.
Murray, a Stuttgart finalist two years ago, had spent time in Britain training on grass after his first-round Roland Garros defeat to Stan Wawrinka last month. That preparation did not pay off at the Weissenhof Club, whose courts are curated under guidance from All England Club experts.
Murray will hope to revive his grass game at the Queen’s Club, his final tune-up before what is almost certain to be the last Wimbledon of his career. The 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon champion went down on Monday in 75 minutes.
The Scot will drop out of the Top 120 ranking as a result of his defeat but is not yet panicking with the July 1 Wimbledon start drawing near. “I’ve had some tough months, but physically I feel OK just now – the ankle, the back. It’s all felt better since going onto grass,” he said.
Murray, who only recently changed racquet brands, expressed disappointment over missing his Stuttgart chances. “I’ve been struggling with breaking serve. I’ve not broken for a few matches and that’s usually been a strength of mine. “On a quick surface like grass, the sets are tight. When your chances come you have to be clinical – he was and I wasn’t.” Jack Draper will line up as Giron’s second-round opponent.
