PARIS -- Like the buzzing gnat that hovers near your ear -- but manages to stay perpetually out of reach -- Radek Stepanek has the propensity to be, well, annoying.
At one point Tuesday afternoon after a Stepanek serve swerved off the frame of his racket, Andy Murray literally took his hat off to the 37-year-old Czech Republic player. He didn't mean it as a compliment; Murray tore it from his head in utter disgust.
In the end, the No. 2-seeded Murray overcame the smooth counterpuncher and, not unimportantly, himself. Only two points from defeat on two occasions, Murray came back to win 3-6, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 in a match that required 3 hours and 41 minutes to complete over two days.
Afterward, Murray made more news by responding to recent charges from former coach Amelie Mauresmo in an interview with L'Equipe that his churlish on-court behavior -- precisely, the sort of angry, hat-grabbing stuff we saw Tuesday -- was what caused the end of their nearly two-year run together earlier this month.
"Me and Amelie have a very good relationship, and I don't think it's fair to try to say otherwise," Murray said in his postmatch news conference. "When we sat down in Madrid -- anyone who said it's heated is lying and was not there. It was far from heated. We spoke very calmly the whole time.
"And to say that the reason that we stopped working together is because of my behavior on the court, that is not true. In Madrid, when we spoke, we didn't discuss that."
The breakup of Grand Slam singles champions has generated all kinds of headlines around the world.
Mauresmo was quoted by the French newspaper as saying, "Andy is complex. On the court, he can be the opposite of what he is in life. It can be confusing. I was there to help. I had the feeling I could not get things done."
Murray admitted the subject has come up in the past.
"There was times when, like with all of my coaches, they said, you know, 'You need to concentrate more on the match. Stop directing your frustration at the box and being distracted from what's going on the court.' But to say that that's why we stopped working together is untrue.
"Obviously what's happened the last few days has been difficult, because I didn't have a chance to talk about it or respond or anything. We certainly didn't fall out. And that is not true."
Murray insisted the split was largely due to Maureso's inability to spend enough time with him, something he said they discussed in Madrid.
"What was said at the time was the fact that we literally are spending hardly any time together in a three-month period right before major events coming up," Murray said. "And she was not able to help me during that period. That's what happened."
So maybe it wasn't just that Rome hangover that was inhibiting Murray's game against Stepanek. He did not look anything remotely like the player who defeated No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic in the Italian final 10 days ago, calling it "pretty stressful." But like No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka, he overcame a two-set deficit in his opening match on Court Philippe Chatrier with the poise of a champion.
Rome, in retrospect, was monstrous for Murray. He had lost to Djokovic four straight times and an overwhelming 12 of the previous 13. This one stopped the bleeding and set him up as a serious contender for the French Open title. However, his half of the draw includes Wawrinka, the defending champion, No. 5 seed Kei Nishikori and Nick Kyrgios. Still, based on recent form, Murray remains the favorite to reach the final opposite Djokovic.
Clearing the air, at least from his perspective, will probably leave him breathing easier.
"I fight through to the end in all of the matches," Murray said in his final answer, referring to both the match and the parting with Mauresmo. "Yes, for sure I can make improvements on the court. No question about that. But I also do some good things, as well.
"You know, I need to sometimes balance that up a little bit."
At one point Tuesday afternoon after a Stepanek serve swerved off the frame of his racket, Andy Murray literally took his hat off to the 37-year-old Czech Republic player. He didn't mean it as a compliment; Murray tore it from his head in utter disgust.
In the end, the No. 2-seeded Murray overcame the smooth counterpuncher and, not unimportantly, himself. Only two points from defeat on two occasions, Murray came back to win 3-6, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 in a match that required 3 hours and 41 minutes to complete over two days.
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| Andy Murray nearly fell in the opening round of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2008. |
"Me and Amelie have a very good relationship, and I don't think it's fair to try to say otherwise," Murray said in his postmatch news conference. "When we sat down in Madrid -- anyone who said it's heated is lying and was not there. It was far from heated. We spoke very calmly the whole time.
"And to say that the reason that we stopped working together is because of my behavior on the court, that is not true. In Madrid, when we spoke, we didn't discuss that."
The breakup of Grand Slam singles champions has generated all kinds of headlines around the world.
Mauresmo was quoted by the French newspaper as saying, "Andy is complex. On the court, he can be the opposite of what he is in life. It can be confusing. I was there to help. I had the feeling I could not get things done."
Murray admitted the subject has come up in the past.
"There was times when, like with all of my coaches, they said, you know, 'You need to concentrate more on the match. Stop directing your frustration at the box and being distracted from what's going on the court.' But to say that that's why we stopped working together is untrue.
"Obviously what's happened the last few days has been difficult, because I didn't have a chance to talk about it or respond or anything. We certainly didn't fall out. And that is not true."
Murray insisted the split was largely due to Maureso's inability to spend enough time with him, something he said they discussed in Madrid.
"What was said at the time was the fact that we literally are spending hardly any time together in a three-month period right before major events coming up," Murray said. "And she was not able to help me during that period. That's what happened."
So maybe it wasn't just that Rome hangover that was inhibiting Murray's game against Stepanek. He did not look anything remotely like the player who defeated No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic in the Italian final 10 days ago, calling it "pretty stressful." But like No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka, he overcame a two-set deficit in his opening match on Court Philippe Chatrier with the poise of a champion.
Rome, in retrospect, was monstrous for Murray. He had lost to Djokovic four straight times and an overwhelming 12 of the previous 13. This one stopped the bleeding and set him up as a serious contender for the French Open title. However, his half of the draw includes Wawrinka, the defending champion, No. 5 seed Kei Nishikori and Nick Kyrgios. Still, based on recent form, Murray remains the favorite to reach the final opposite Djokovic.
Clearing the air, at least from his perspective, will probably leave him breathing easier.
"I fight through to the end in all of the matches," Murray said in his final answer, referring to both the match and the parting with Mauresmo. "Yes, for sure I can make improvements on the court. No question about that. But I also do some good things, as well.
"You know, I need to sometimes balance that up a little bit."