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Andy Murray’s return to clay proved to be a repressed experience, as he lost in straight sets to Stan Wawrinka in the first round of the French Open.
The 33-year-old Scotsman was well below the level of 2015 champion Wawrinka, who posted a 6-1 6-3 6-2 victory.
Murray’s departure came after British number one Dan Evans lost to Japan’s Kei Nishikori in a fluctuating five sets.
Evans has lost in all three Roland Garros main draw appearances after a 1-6 6-1 7-6 (7-3) 1-6 6-4 loss.
Britain’s number three Cameron Norrie and qualifier Liam Broady remain to carry the flag in the men’s singles.
Murray in a bad mood at Clay Return
Excitement and a sense of disbelief greeted Murray’s draw against fellow three-time Grand Slam champion Wawrinka, whom the Scotsman faced in his last match on clay more than three years ago.
For Murray, it was a surprising twist of fate that even left him “funny.” He had not played on the surface since a brutal five-set semi-final against Wawrinka at Roland Garros in June 2017.
That turned out to be the start of a hip problem that left him needing two major surgeries and on the brink of retirement last year.
The 35-year-old Wawrinka has also seen his career stalled by a knee injury in recent years and generated much intrigue about how a moving reunion between the two veterans would unfold at Roland Garros.
Ultimately, it didn’t turn out to be much of a competition as 16th seed Wawrinka mercilessly fired an off-the-wall Murray.
The Briton had beaten Wawrinka when they met in the final of the European Open in Antwerp in October, but the result never seemed likely to be repeated.
The Swiss has moved up the rankings again after finding form and fitness, which shows why in a one-sided first set in which he broke serve three times and won two-thirds of the points.
Murray’s first serve percentage dropped to a modest 21% and that was punished by Wawrinka, whose heavy hitting was too much for Murray.
Even though Murray’s service game improved slightly, he continued to look flat and unable to awaken the spirit that has seen him change games so often in the past.
Subsequently, Murray said he was trying to calm down on the court after regularly showing his frustration during matches at the recent Cincinnati Masters and US Open.
“It was something that came up to me and I tried to keep my emotions in check,” he said.
“I don’t know if that affected me in any way or not, but that was probably why I was calmer than usual.”
Wawrinka maintained his level in the second and third sets as he continued to poke holes in Murray’s defense, finishing with 42 winners as he navigated to victory in one hour and 37 minutes.
The game was played on a cold night under new lights on a Philippe Chatrier open court, but Murray said conditions were not a factor in his subpar performance.
“I didn’t play well. I did less than 40% first serves on the court, which is not good enough against anyone, and especially against someone as good as Stan.”
“You want to be serving 60%, that kind of region. You won’t see many players serving below 40% the rest of the tournament.”
Evans still looking for an elusive victory at Roland Garros
The 30-year-old from Birmingham admitted that he couldn’t have had a much tougher draw than Nishikori, who ranks one place behind the Brit after injury problems at 35th in the world.
So it turned out. Once the obvious disappointment subsides, Evans will be able to perk up with a courageous display in which he continued to hold on and show flashes of his quality.
Evans admits that clay is not his favorite surface and since Nishikori is not in the best condition, it turned out to be a captivating and unpredictable battle between the pair.
Evans initially seemed more comfortable in the drizzle, allowing him to make a quicker start in a 29-minute first set.
Since the event will take place in the fall rather than its usual May-June venue, the vastly different conditions have been a big talking point ahead of the tournament.
Both Evans and Nishikori were wrapped in hoodies and long sleeves during warm-up, and the Japanese player continued to look cold in an uninspired display of the first set where he won just 12 points.
However, the match turned in Nishikori’s favor in a second set that mirrored the first game and then Evans had to fight to force a tiebreaker in a third that lasted almost an hour and a half.
That momentum continued in his favor as Nishikori’s level dropped again in the fourth and led to a decisive one that no one would have dared to predict.
Nishikori, however, has a remarkable record for victories in five-set matches, standing at 23-6 going into this one. And, after surviving Evans’ 3-0 comeback, he once again showed his courage to overcome the decisive moments.
Trailing 30-0, 5-4, Nishikori stayed focused and increased his intensity to break Evans’ serve and claim victory in three hours and 49 minutes.
