Sunday 5 July 2015 16:50, UK
After Andy Murray advanced to the last 16 at Wimbledon, we pick five talking points from his win over Andreas Seppi...
The British No 1 is safely through to the second week of Wimbledon, despite giving the British fans a brief spell of discomfort during his 6-2 6-2 1-6 6-1 win over Seppi on Centre Court.
A potentially tricky encounter with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has been avoided after the French 13th seed was edged out by Ivo Karlovic and the towering Croat will instead face the Scot on Monday.
Standing at 6ft 11in, Karlovic fires down a ferocious serve and recently broke an aces record, but Murray will not be intimidated by another meeting with the world No 25.
He has won all five of their previous matches, including a second-round meeting at Wimbledon three years ago.
Rafa Nadal’s shock departure means the quarter-finals appear less perilous, with either Viktor Troicki, who Murray ousted at Queen’s Club, or Vasek Pospisil lying in wait.
Murray’s improved mental strength has been a key attribute in his success this year, but he is still prone to the occasional lapse of concentration.
After collecting the opening two sets with relative ease he seemed ready to seal a dominant win, only for Seppi to upset his concentration when he called for the trainer.
The Italian took a medical timeout to seek further treatment on his leg and Murray admitted he lost his focus while frittering away the next seven games.
"If someone has treatment for their leg, you expect it's going to hamper their movement," he said.
"But the next game when you get broken, you're like, 'He should be hurt right now and I don't feel like I should be getting broken immediately after he's seen the trainer.'
"That's the psychological part of the game and maybe something I could have done a better job of dealing with myself."
Murray returned the favour, calling on the doctor in the fourth set to examine a shoulder complaint.
This break gave him added time to regroup and he regained his focus and a foothold before taking the next six games.
The 28-year-old’s body has undergone plenty of wear and tear during his career and fresh concerns were raised as he clutched his shoulder during that troublesome third set.
British fans exchanged anxious looks as Murray lay flat on his turf, with the doctor manipulating his back, a source of injury problems in recent years.
But he made a swift recovery and showed no further signs of discomfort while serving out his remaining games.
When questioned afterwards, Murray played down suggestions that the injury could hinder his progress in the tournament.
"The shoulder is fine. You probably saw towards the end of the second set it tightened up next to the shoulder blade," he said.
"The trainer came out and manipulated my back. He gave it a few good cracks. It's a 90 kilo guy lying on top of me so it's not that pleasant."
That mini-meltdown should not completely tarnish a polished performance from Murray over the first two sets.
He served with real authority and seized upon any loose shots while opening up a 2-0 lead over the stunned Seppi.
Despite the three breaks, Murray still won 70 per cent of points on his first serve, and converted his own break point opportunities with ruthless efficiency.
He took seven out of the 12 on offer and Seppi was simply shrugged aside as Murray motored through the fourth set.
Fellow British men Liam Broady and Aljaz Bedene both departed in the second round, while James Ward’s run was ended in the third by Vasek Pospisil, leaving Murray as the sole home representative in the men’s singles.
He has stood alone in the tournament for a succession of years and proved he can cope with the burden of expectation while taking the title in 2013.
If anything, the mood among the home support is more positive than ever after the exploits of Ward and Heather Watson's creditable defeat by Serena Williams on Friday.
Yes, all eyes will now be on Murray, but he understands the value of a buoyant crowd and called for more of the same as he tries to claim the trophy for a second time.
He tweeted: “Thanks for all the messages of the support during week one... 2nd on centre vs karlovic on Monday.. Fire it up for week 2.”
