Andy Murray produced his best tennis for well over a year at the US Open but was unable to overcome Novak Djokovic in a pulsating quarter-final clash at Flushing Meadow.
The Serbian world number one eventually prevailed 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (1-7), 6-2, 6-4 after three-and-a-half hours of brutal, and not always pretty, tennis. Both men produced more unforced errors than winners and Murray only converted four of his 16 break points.
But the sheer effort the two men put in was impressive. The confrontation between the pair was "nearly as intense as their final on the same court two years ago", says Kevin Mitchell of The Guardian. And at times the Scot had the upper hand.
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"Had Murray been able to sustain the quite terrifying power he injected into his flat forehand in the second and third sets, he would be staying a little longer in New York."
But by the end Murray was spent, and no wonder. It was "at times remarkable fare, even by the standard of these two protagonists of eye-wateringly physical sporting duels", enthuses Steve Brenner in The Times.
"Yet towards the end it was disconcerting to see Murray struggle so badly, his body stiffening up, ensuring that his movement was severely affected."
Commentator John McEnroe was tough on the former Wimbledon champion, who underwent back surgery last year. After three hours he noted: "You should be able to go longer than this without feeling the effects." Afterwards he commented that "things happen" to Murray in the matches he loses, possibly a reference to Murray's need to see his trainer midway through the fourth set and his use of a heatpack on his lower back as the game wore on.
"Are we still seeing the after-effects of Murray's back operation at work, almost a year after he went under the knife?" wonders Simon Briggs of the Daily Telegraph. "Alternatively, could part of his issue be mental?
"That is the cruelty of modern tennis: you might be able to overpower your opponent on individual points, but when it comes to these ferocious grand-slam showdowns, you won't win without sustaining that level for hour after hour."
