Murray eyes pivotal doubles

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:02

Murray ensured the tie is all square after the opening singles with an emphatic straight-sets victory over Alexander Peya which raised the chances of him partnering brother Jamie in Saturday’s doubles, depending on his suspect knee.

He said: “”It is an important match. If we win the doubles we will be strong favourites to win. If I feel good I will probably play.”

If Murray is not fully fit, Ross Hutchings is John Lloyd’s alternative, though the British captain was on Friday night playing his cards close to his chest.

The Austrian doubles pairing of Melzer and Julian Knowle will pose Great Britain a significant threat – but Murray would relish the chance to take to Number One court again in front of a vociferous home crowd.

He added: “The doubles is a 50-50 match. Jurgen and Julian have played well together on the tour and in the Davis Cup and have played together more than any of our combinations.

Murray on Friday relished the opportunity to send a message to Melzer that he is no Davis Cup choker.

Melzer had claimed Murray would struggle to cope with the pressure because “the whole country expects him to win the Davis Cup by himself”. But Murray, the new world number four, had no troubles in dispatching Peya 6-4 6-1 6-3 – and he then made a choking gesture to mock Melzer’s assessment.

He said afterwards: “I was told I wasn’t going to be able to handle the pressure particularly well but Jurgen struggled out there a little bit more than me.

“It is not nice when fellow competitors make those sort of suggestions. The difference between the top-10 players and the rest is that they deal well with the pressure, they play well in tight situations and they win big matches.”

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