Andy Murray ratted out opponent Fernando Verdasco after his second-round loss for violating terms of the USTA’s 10-minute heat policy that was in place for a second straight day Wednesday at the US Open because of temperatures approaching 100 degrees.
Murray had asked the USTA before his match for specifics on the policy and saw in writing players can’t talk to their coaches during the 10-minute locker room break after a third set.
Verdasco, Murray said, didn’t get the memo.
“We were clear you don’t speak to your coaches,” Murray said. “They obviously weren’t in there for long, but you got to do better than that. This is one of the biggest events in the world. If you have rules like that, you need to stick with them because one player getting to speak to the coach and the other not is not fair.”
Murray informed a USTA official of Verdasco’s alleged chat with his coach. Murray said he took a shower, while Verdasco opted for an ice bath. The ice bath won out as Murray flamed out in the fourth set.
Verdasco denied the allegation.
“I don’t want to say Andy lied, but I didn’t speak one word to my coach,” he said.
Verdasco said his coach used the bathroom while he took an ice bath.
When Murray hit a backhand service return into the net at Ashe Stadium, his Open was over as dusk settled. The unseeded Murray, rehabbing from hip surgery, predicted he wouldn’t know how he’d feel after a four-set first-round win. And the answer was not good enough as the crafty veteran lefty Verdasco took him out in a three-hour, 23-minute, four-setter 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 that delayed the night session by nearly an hour.
“I think some of the tennis I played today was some of the best I’ve played since I came back. But there were also periods, especially in the first set, where I really didn’t play particularly well,” said Murray, who double-faulted to give Verdasco his break in the first set.
Verdasco, ranked 31st, hadn’t beaten Murray in a decade. This is not the same Murray, however, after missing much of the past 14 months after hip surgeries and whose ranking is 382. Murray provided great theatre, posting four break points as Verdasco looked to serve out the match. Verdasco posted 52 winners to Murray’s 35.
