Andy Murray will try to 'pick Stefanos Tsitsipas' game apart' in 'really good Wimbledon match-up', says Laura Robson
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Updated 05/07/2023 at 21:45 GMT
Andy Murray will meet fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round at Wimbledon. Two-time champion Murray has hopes of going far at the Grand Slam and Eurosport expert Mats Wilander thinks this is the "perfect draw" for him. Eurosport expert Laura Robson expects Murray to look at Tsitsipas' performance against Dominic Thiem and see how he can hurt him on Thursday.
'I'm sure he'll be looking up all the numbers' - Robson on Murray's approach to Tsitsipas clash
Laura Robson thinks facing Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round at Wimbledon is a “really good match-up” for Andy Murray, as he will try to “pick his game apart”.
Murray made a confident start to his Wimbledon campaign as he beat fellow Brit Ryan Peniston in straight sets on Tuesday.
Tsitsipas only completed his first-round match late on Wednesday after it was postponed due to rain.
The fifth seed came through an epic tussle with former US Open champion Dominic Thiem and will now look to recover to face Murray on Thursday.
“I think it’s a really good match up for Andy,” said Eurosport expert Robson.
“I don’t think Stef loves the grass and Andy will try to pick his game apart.
“When someone has a big first serve Andy loves to be able to read the play and move back, move forward and change things up as the match goes on. Andy is so into his stats as well so I am sure he will be looking up all the numbers of Stef’s first-round match and seeing what he can do differently.”
This will be the third career meeting between Murray and Tsitsipas, who is playing mixed doubles at Wimbledon with girlfriend Paula Badosa.
Tsitsipas won in five sets when they met at the US Open in 2021 while Murray was victorious on grass in Stuttgart last summer.
Eurosport expert Mats Wilander thinks it’s a “perfect draw” for Murray.
“Obviously it’s tough to play Stefanos Tsitsipas on any surface but I think grass is the surface that Andy Murray would choose if he had a choice.
“Tsitsipas has a big first serve and his forehand is great, but maybe Andy can attack his backhand a bit on a grass court.
“Tsitsipas likes it when the ball bounces a bit higher and he can get some spin on his backhand. His sliced backhand is not great to begin with and on a grass court you need a sliced backhand.
“For me it’s a perfect draw for Andy to play one of the top guys early in the tournament when the grass is still green and the bounce is a bit lower.”
Tsitsipas has not enjoyed much success at Wimbledon in the past.
He has lost in the first round in three of his five previous appearances and last year was beaten in the third round by Nick Kyrgios.
“For Stefanos this is a situation where he can possibly relax a bit because is he supposed to beat Andy Murray?” questioned Wilander.
“I guess because of the ranking but not really.
“Obviously the fans will be going crazy and that will be good for both players – sometimes the player they are rooting against gets fired up too because the crowd is so involved.
“But it’s a good draw for Murray I think.”
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