RACKET-SLAMMING Andy Murray suffered his worst-ever defeat on clay as he felt the pain in Spain.
The Scot was beaten 6-2 7-6 in 91 minutes by Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori – the world No.164 – in the first round of the Madrid Masters.
Andy Murray smashing his racket into his chair
Andy Murray suffered his worst-ever defeat on clay as he felt the pain in Spain
The Scot was beaten 6-2 7-6 in 91 minutes by Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori
Murray said after defeat: “It wasn’t great. Started to play a bit better towards the end but the start was slow.
“He played very well at the beginning and he’s serving huge. Some of the errors, you know, are hard to explain.
“And the one at the net – it’s not a shot that top players should be missing. A bad miss.”
Only once before had the two-time Wimbledon hero lost to someone outside the top 100 on the red stuff – and that was in April 2006.
It does not give him or his legion of fans any confidence that he will make any inroads when the tennis world descends on Paris at the end of May for the French Open.
There were typical outbursts and shouts of anger towards his box as he was being given the runaround by the Turin no-hoper.
Though he saved four match points in the second-set tie-breaker, he was unable to take Vavassori, 27, to a decider.
Murray, 35, looked uncomfortable towards the end, clutching his stomach, and hit his equipment on the floor in irritation – and then violently on his chair when the tie was over.
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There was also the image of Murray incredibly missing an open court while standing at the net, which left fans in the stands gasping in surprise.
The world No52 also did not realise until the final games where the shot clock was on the court.
For Vavassori, his reward for this victory – the biggest of his career – will be a second-round rate with former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev.
Kyle Edmund played fellow injury-hit star Dominic Thiem but he was defeated 6-4 6-1 in the opening match.
Andy Murray shakes hands with Andrea Vavassori
