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January 30, 2015

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Murray pays tribute to Mauresmo

ANDY Murray drew massive applause not just for his tennis, but for an eloquent tribute to female coaches.

As Murray basked in the center-court spotlight after reaching his fourth Australian Open final, he was asked by an on-court presenter what his new coach Amelie Mauresmo has brought to his game.

Murray’s decision to hire the former No. 1-ranked Mauresmo in June, after parting ways with Ivan Lendl, sparked criticism from some current and retired players and the British media. Her position was then under scrutiny in Britain after Murray was eliminated from Wimbledon and the US Open in the quarterfinals last year.

“A lot of people criticized me working with her,” said Murray, winner of the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon titles. “And I think so far this week we’ve showed that women can be very good coaches as well.”

Mauresmo, a two-time grand slam winner, smiled at Murray from his player’s box and nodded, as Rod Laver Arena erupted with applause.

The No. 6-ranked Murray beat No. 7 Tomas Berdych 6-7(6), 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 in yesterday’s semifinal and is now one win away from an elusive Australian Open trophy. But Murray noted that his wasn’t the only success story.

“Madison Keys, who reached the semis here and had her best tournament, is also coached by a woman, Lindsay Davenport, and I see no reason why that can’t keep moving forward like that in the future,” he said to more huge applause.

“I’m very thankful for Amelie for doing it. It was, I would say, a brave choice from her to do it, and hopefully I can repay her now in a few days.”

Murray faces a final against No. 1 Novak Djokovic or defending champion Stan Wawrinka, who play their semifinal today.

Berdych blamed “one bad set” for his loss. “I’m very disappointed to lose this match. It was a big match. What was the difference? I had one bad set for the second set and that’s it. I was just trying to get my chances, trying to fight for it, but it was not enough.”

The glaring streetfighter punched hard in the opening set was replaced by a lumbering giant in subsequent sets as Berdych was thrown by the Scot’s superior court speed. Murray appeared fired up after an exchange between the first and second sets but his opponent said he was misunderstood.

“I say to myself, ‘Well done, Tomas,’” Berdych said. “I think I’m allowed to do that when I win a set. That was it. There is no really big deal about anything that was happening today on the court. It was a great battle, a good match. Unfortunately with a bad end for me. That’s how it is. That’s the sport.”

Top-ranked Serena Williams has won all five Australian Open finals she has contested, her last coming in 2010. After holding on to win the tough first set against 19-year-old Madison Keys, the 18-time grand slam champion dominated the second set in a 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory.

Maria Sharapova won the 2008 title, but was comprehensively outplayed in her two other trips to the final, by Williams in 2007 and by Victoria Azarenka in 2012. Sharapova, who beat No. 10-seeded Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-2 in an all-Russian semifinal, has lost her last 15 matches against Williams. Her only two wins in their 18 career meetings were in 2004.




 

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