"Shut up, Mats" - Kyrgios jumps aside Murray after criticizing Wilander
After Mats Wilander questioned Andy Murray's wildcard awarding of the French Open , he has come under fire - including that of Murray's buddy Nick Kyrgios .
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Sep 29, 2020, 03:33 pm
It is an analysis that is still making waves. Mats Wilander, ex-number 1 and now Eurosport expert, gave his view of things as usual after Andy Murray's smooth exit against Stan Wawrinka at the French Open. And put the wildcard award of the French tennis association to Murray up for debate.
"I'm worried about Andy Murray. I would like to hear why he's on the pitch giving us false hopes of coming back one day," said Wilander . "I think Andy has to stop thinking about himself and thinking about who he was. Does he have the right to be out there and take the wild cards away from the younger players?"
Murray: Comeback with success
Murray had announced after massive hip problems early in the season 2019 end of his career, but was then already a few months later after successful surgery again returned . With mixed success - but also a tournament victory in Antwerp with a final victory over Wawrinka. And at the Cincinnati tournament a few weeks ago with a three-set success over the later US Open finalist Alexander Zverev.
In Paris, however, Murray had no chance against Wawrinka, 1: 6, 3: 6, 2: 6 it was here on Sunday, which Murray mainly attributed to his weak service rate (below 40 percent) and many experts to the difficult conditions on the slow and wet Sand. Wawrinka has the playful power to shoot his opponent away - Murray does not.
However, Wilander seems to be fundamentally questioning the Murray comeback. And looked at himself: He resigned for the first time when he was 26, then played again from 28 to 32. But: "There were a couple of years when I shouldn't have taken the space for younger, more motivated and better players than me." Though he loves to see Murray back, he has yet to figure out why he's still playing.
Nick Kyrgios: "Never seen a point from Wilander"
These statements caused a sensation among colleagues and experts. Why should a deserving ex-champ who is now back in the top 100 and is the current tournament winner not get a wild card - which otherwise would have gone to a French player outside the top 300? Why would he have deserved it more? Especially since Murray only drew attention to himself when he defeated Zverev, in contrast to Lleyton Hewitt, for example, who had performed over and over again for many years without really being competitive?
"Shut up, Mats. Nobody cares," wrote Murray pal Nick Kyrgios on Twitter. "Muzz (Nickname for Murray, editor's note) , I want you to know that we all love your tennis and your teasing. I've never seen a rally from Mats Wilander either."
Wawrinka also praised Murray ("He'll be back"), and his coach Danii Vallverdu also distanced himself from Wilander's statement. "Everyone can have their opinion. Mine is: That's absolutely pathetic of Mats."
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