Tennis’s current number one man isn’t having a great season on clay (102-45 all-time, 6-4 this year). Although he won the first two rounds at the Roland Garros, he lost a set on both matches.
Last night against 50th-ranked Martin Klizan, his rhythm was visibly off, and had a tough time avoiding the massive upset. Combining the numbers on those two contests, he’s been outscored on winners, 91-70.
Adding to that is his on-and-off performances versus Juan Martin Del Potro, a guy he has lost to thrice (twice in their last three meetings), one of which was a straight sets defeat on a clay court.
We should see Murray try to impose his will right out of the gate; he isn’t the top guy on the rankings for no reason. However, it won’t be surprising if he continues to have the troubles he had against Klizan and Andrey Kuznetsov.
Del Potro advanced after easily dispatching Guido Pella, where he won 12 of the first 15 games of the match to race to a comfortable 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 win, and moving past an injured Nicolas Almagro (knee). The score was 6-3, 3-6, 1-1 when Almagro got hurt.
Despite only placing at the modest 30th spot in the world rankings, Del Potro has the makings of a dangerous underdog, particularly against Murray. Along with the aforementioned successes over the Brit, he also holds a respectable record on clay. In such a court, he has won seven of his last nine matches, and is boasting four ATP titles (Mercedes Cup, Generalli Open, and two Estoril Opens) and a 70-28 card all-time (.714).
Considering all of those stats, and the bumpy ride that Murray has been riding as of late, we shouldn’t be surprised if an upset happens.
Writer’s Prediction
Del Potro (+220) pulls off the upset after five, hard-fought sets.
