:00:08. > :00:15.Is it The players are back on court and the match is about to resume
:00:16. > :00:19.between Stan Wawrinka and Fernando Verdasco. I would love to say that
:00:20. > :00:23.the Queen's Club is bathed in sunshine, it's the same old #120ry.
:00:24. > :00:27.Plenty of dark clouds around. We hope to get at least half an hour of
:00:28. > :00:32.play here between the showers. This is the first match on Centre Court.
:00:33. > :00:37.It was scheduled to start at 11.30am. They have quite a long
:00:38. > :00:45.wait. Verdasco has taken the first set. Wawrinka is leading 4-3. Andy
:00:46. > :00:50.Murray is waiting. He could be on in 10-15 minutes if Stan Wawrinka can
:00:51. > :00:56.win three straight games. He has a tough opener against Nicolas Mahut.
:00:57. > :01:01.Who plays well on the grass courts. Nick Kyrgios and Milos Raonic, the
:01:02. > :01:10.up-and-coming stars of the game. Kyle Edmund will take on Gilles
:01:11. > :01:23.Simon. Lopez has taken the first set off the former champion, 6-4. Grigor
:01:24. > :01:27.Dimitrov is taking on Janko Tipsarviv, experienced serve.
:01:28. > :01:32.Wonderful matches. I wish we had some wonderful weather to enjoy
:01:33. > :01:40.them. Hopefully, the weather will improve. So much tennis to come over
:01:41. > :01:45.the next month. From Queen's Club we head to Eastbourne and Wimbledon
:01:46. > :01:49.starting in two weeks' time. The Davis Cup in Belgrade. Serbia up
:01:50. > :01:52.against Great Britain. Djokovic against Murray if they both play.
:01:53. > :01:57.What a treat that is for the next few weeks. What a treat it is John
:01:58. > :02:00.and Andrew to have some play. They are back on court. Hopefully, we
:02:01. > :02:07.will get more than the warm-up again. Verdasco will have to serve.
:02:08. > :02:11.After a rain delay when you come back you think if the birs ball and
:02:12. > :02:16.first couple of points. A lot of people would prefer to be receiving.
:02:17. > :02:21.On at grass courts you lose the first couple of months,ed tennis
:02:22. > :02:25.absolutely different on a grass-court than on a clay-court.
:02:26. > :02:31.All these players are making their way from the clay of Roland Garros
:02:32. > :02:36.and onto this grass,ing for match play. This is one of the hazards. We
:02:37. > :02:41.don't have a roof here at Queen's Club, we never will do. It's one of
:02:42. > :02:44.the hazards for the star players, wait around and conserve their
:02:45. > :02:52.energy in the best way possible. There is no way he wants one match,
:02:53. > :02:58.this double Grand Slam Champion. An important 10-15 minutes for him. It
:02:59. > :03:02.is. The scoring system? Tennis is wonderful. They have had six break
:03:03. > :03:06.points. Verdasco has taken four of them. Wawrinka hasn't taken any? It
:03:07. > :03:12.was a close match. It could have gone either way to this stage. It
:03:13. > :03:15.will be interesting, we saw a picture of Wawrinka's coach.
:03:16. > :03:19.Interesting to see what he was talking about during this time.
:03:20. > :03:26.Wawrinka is an experienced pro. There were signs that he didn't like
:03:27. > :03:34.being out there. He was - When you lose confidence in your footing it
:03:35. > :03:38.affects your whole game? It does. He has told him - listen, these are the
:03:39. > :03:42.times you have to get on with. It you have to buckle down mentally,
:03:43. > :03:47.get on with it, focus and win the match. Big deep and play the big
:03:48. > :03:57.points well? If they don't go your way don't
:03:58. > :04:03.don't Exactly. React. It don't show your opponent anything other than
:04:04. > :04:08.I'm keen to be out here. And wait for the breaks to come your way.
:04:09. > :04:13.Nobody has any rhythm at all. Fight hard, play as well as you can. We
:04:14. > :04:15.will see if he can make an impact on Verdasco in the second set. I'm
:04:16. > :04:20.anticipating a third set in this match. Before we go on to Fernando
:04:21. > :04:26.Verdasco what about Andy Murray? We saw him, he was practicing here at
:04:27. > :04:35.10.00am he finished just after 11.00am a lot of hanging around for
:04:36. > :04:40.him and his team, including Lendle. He could be on soon? He is
:04:41. > :04:44.experienced and has been around the grass-court season, as all the
:04:45. > :04:48.players have. You have to have the mentality, there is a good chance
:04:49. > :04:51.you will get these kind of days, including at Wimbledon. We have the
:04:52. > :04:56.roof. There are other matches where you are on and off. The facts of
:04:57. > :04:59.life in this month. The same thing happened at the French Open. It's
:05:00. > :05:05.not just Britain where it happens. Have you to get on with it. Andy is
:05:06. > :05:10.a pro, he has been around. As Andy said earlier on, the players lounge
:05:11. > :05:16.has so many things to do there, it's not like the old days where there
:05:17. > :05:20.was nothing. They have the physio rooms, cinema and game rooms. They
:05:21. > :05:25.will keep themselves occupied and keep themselves simmering. They
:05:26. > :05:31.don't want to get too fired up to early. 10-15 minutes they know when
:05:32. > :05:39.they are coming up and they get ready. Andy is a master at these
:05:40. > :05:47.rain delays. We saw a shadow for a couple of seconds. Verdasco played
:05:48. > :05:51.wonderful against Nadal and Andy Murray in Wimbledon 2013. Tough
:05:52. > :05:58.competitor. Good weapons? Top dog in the doubles. He won the doubles at
:05:59. > :06:01.the ATP World Finals which we will cover in November. Great versatile
:06:02. > :06:09.all round player. Rank something too low much you think of him as 25-30.
:06:10. > :06:14.Sglf 53. It seems low. There was a stage after his success he had a
:06:15. > :06:18.problem with his ball toss but I think that's gone now. You never
:06:19. > :06:22.know until the big moments hit. Perhaps he lost a bit of confidence.
:06:23. > :06:26.In this man's forehand, if you have one of those buttons where you can
:06:27. > :06:30.pause it, don't pause it so you miss too much of the action. His forehand
:06:31. > :06:35.is incredible. The positions he attains. The speed of the racquet is
:06:36. > :06:39.truly fearsome. Hi hits the ball harder than Nadal with this
:06:40. > :06:45.left-handed forehand. Well worth watching for that. The other end,
:06:46. > :06:48.one of the finest most eleganted single-handed backhand the game has
:06:49. > :06:53.seen. Worth watching for a few minutes before it pelts down again.
:06:54. > :06:58.Absolutely. Peter Fleming said he wished he had a forehand like
:06:59. > :07:02.Fernando Verdasco. How would you rate Peter's forehand? He is
:07:03. > :07:11.probably listening. That is why I asked. Put it this way, its wasn't
:07:12. > :07:15.his best shot. They played magnificent tennis even though they
:07:16. > :07:19.were slipping all over the place, cold and wet and windy. They
:07:20. > :07:22.produced good tennis. Let's hope they are on court for a long time
:07:23. > :07:29.and get into the match. Thank you to John and Andy. We can hand over to
:07:30. > :07:34.Peter who is with John Inverdale. Commonwealth We had two hours to
:07:35. > :07:37.amuse ourselves, Val, our studio manager, is a big dog person. You
:07:38. > :07:45.were talking about Fernando Verdasco being a top dog in days gone by. Val
:07:46. > :07:48.is a big dawn person, I'm a big dog person, we have been talking dogs to
:07:49. > :07:54.the indifference of Peter Fleming who has not got a canine heart in
:07:55. > :07:58.him. Whatever! OK, just to respond to that last bit in the studio. I
:07:59. > :08:05.would have to say there are a couple of members of that studio, not named
:08:06. > :08:10.KSue, who would also be in the forehand cue. We can't open their
:08:11. > :08:14.mike crow phones to get their responses. There is somebody with a
:08:15. > :08:19.handy forehand hitch will feel happier than perhaps Verdasco at the
:08:20. > :08:23.resumption of play. He has a shot at the Spaniard's serve here. If he can
:08:24. > :08:29.break early on we have a different game altogether, haven't we?
:08:30. > :08:34.Absolutely. This is a nerve-wracking game for Verdasco. Coming out cold.
:08:35. > :08:39.Interestingly, when they started the match, Verdasco was very much the
:08:40. > :08:47.underdog. Very much probably had low expectations. Started calmly in a
:08:48. > :08:52.very relaxed fashion and played superb tennis from the off. It would
:08:53. > :08:56.be quite a good effort if he could duplicate that right now. Pressure
:08:57. > :09:06.on to hold right here. It's a lot brighter than it has been
:09:07. > :09:29.all day. So let's hope that's an omen, too.
:09:30. > :09:32.That this the most difficult toorth hit over the high part of the net.
:09:33. > :09:43.The short side of the court. It may only be the first point, but
:09:44. > :09:49.Wawrinka thinking - I could be in here.
:09:50. > :10:39.That was a quick slider. Really skidded off the surface.
:10:40. > :10:47.That's double fault number four for Verdasco. It's often where his
:10:48. > :10:49.double faults occur, into the net. He just gets a little tight and he
:10:50. > :10:54.doesn't let it go. I was about to ask you, is that a
:10:55. > :11:18.ball toss fault? Yes. Well, certainly an errant ball toss
:11:19. > :11:23.is part of it. Is that the fundamental issue? I think a's
:11:24. > :11:27.nerve. But what comes first - the chicken or the egg sort of thing. He
:11:28. > :11:28.can't be chicken here because if he does it's going to be a break of
:11:29. > :12:18.serve. And he wasn't. Well, interestingly, having said
:12:19. > :12:23.that all the double faults are the ball going into the net, conscious
:12:24. > :12:27.of that, he then hits it midway between the service line and the
:12:28. > :12:31.baseline. Double fault number five, two double faults in this game. Both
:12:32. > :12:38.players know how important this could
:12:39. > :12:46.That's another opportunity. A clench of a fist from Wawrinka. A second
:12:47. > :12:51.chance for him to break and take a 5-3 lead. Within touching distance
:12:52. > :13:35.of squaring the match. That was a very brave second serve
:13:36. > :13:40.from Verdasco that put him in control of that rally. Was. It
:13:41. > :13:44.Totally different from the other second serve that is he's hit in
:13:45. > :13:47.this game. Took that aggressively and followed it up with some big
:13:48. > :14:14.forehands. Well-deserved. No need for a line judge on that
:14:15. > :14:33.one. It's quite hard to pick where the
:14:34. > :14:50.second serve's going to go at the moment, isn't it?
:14:51. > :14:57.Tessa intriguing really. He appears to be have a beautiful service
:14:58. > :15:09.action, nice rhythm. Something, probably the ball toss, that...
:15:10. > :15:22.I'll do it once, then I'll do it again.
:15:23. > :15:30.The door was opened briefly for Wawrinka but then it was slammed on
:15:31. > :15:36.his face. That changes the dynamic now because the pressure is on the
:15:37. > :15:42.number two seed. You can almost feel Verdasco take a deep breath of
:15:43. > :15:43.relaxation, glad it is over with. Now the pressure switches to
:15:44. > :15:59.Wawrinka. Did he break a string there? I don't
:16:00. > :16:25.know. I hope you are enjoying that rally
:16:26. > :16:32.actually because look what it is being played beneath. That is what
:16:33. > :16:33.Queen's should look like, a sun-kissed court. And a fantastic
:16:34. > :17:13.forehand from Stan. And that was very, very
:17:14. > :17:18.straightforward. It is the time of year when a lot of people who are
:17:19. > :17:22.casual tennis players or occasional players, or people who play
:17:23. > :17:26.regularly at a low level find themselves gripped by sport in a way
:17:27. > :17:34.they don't at other times of the year. Most people understand that if
:17:35. > :17:41.you are serving at 4-5 down, you are thinking oh, help, got to get the
:17:42. > :17:50.ball in and not make basic mistakes. You cannot think in those terms if
:17:51. > :17:56.you are Verdasco, but nonetheless do jitters get to you? Is he thinking,
:17:57. > :18:04.if I lose my serve here, it is one set all...? No, but usually the
:18:05. > :18:11.first game or two that you serve when you haven't established a
:18:12. > :18:18.rhythm, you are more nervous than when it is 3-3 in the third and you
:18:19. > :18:29.are well grooved. That service game was rife with danger for Verdasco. I
:18:30. > :18:34.think having held that game he will been -- be less nervous this game,
:18:35. > :18:39.and the more we go on he will settle into a nice rhythm and feel more
:18:40. > :18:42.confident. He needs to hold this game, otherwise we are going into a
:18:43. > :19:27.third set. I think actually playing on grass
:19:28. > :19:33.helps Verdasco's serve because he knows he needs to use it as a
:19:34. > :19:36.weapon. He will hit the first serve aggressively. Often on clay he just
:19:37. > :20:03.rolls the first one in. That was special. The French Open
:20:04. > :20:07.this year was a drop shot fest, but that is the first we have seen in
:20:08. > :20:12.this match and magnificently executed. That is the holder of
:20:13. > :20:20.serve, very straightforward for the Spaniard. Suddenly, this is what Sue
:20:21. > :20:24.was talking about earlier on, the wonders of the scoring system.
:20:25. > :20:59.Suddenly the pressure is heaped at the other end of the court.
:21:00. > :21:09.Yes, and the scoring system has perhaps allowed Wawrinka to get
:21:10. > :21:15.lazy. You can always come back from any position. Wawrinka sometimes
:21:16. > :21:22.allows himself to get into a hole, knowing that if he gets a rhythm he
:21:23. > :21:23.can dig himself out of just about anywhere. He had better start
:21:24. > :21:42.digging now. Verdasco gave him a helping hand
:21:43. > :21:47.there. He lost the first set 6-2, we have seen him do that on a number of
:21:48. > :22:01.occasions this year. Then he works his way into the match.
:22:02. > :22:08.At Roland Garros, he was within touching distance of becoming the
:22:09. > :22:14.first defending champion ever to go out in the first round following
:22:15. > :22:18.year. Which he wasn't aware of until the press conference afterwards,
:22:19. > :22:33.when he smiled ruefully and said, well I am not.
:22:34. > :23:06.Big shout from Stan there, from 0- 30 to 40-30.
:23:07. > :23:19.Come on, he says, and come on he has. Let's talk about Verdasco's
:23:20. > :23:26.serve because you have made a point of saying it is a key element in the
:23:27. > :23:32.match today. We have got some statistics about where it is going
:23:33. > :23:37.and what it is doing. A typical left-hander's serve will hit the
:23:38. > :23:44.slice very well, and Wawrinka is no exception. That is in the 57% region
:23:45. > :23:50.in the deuce caught in the middle. He has only lost one point out wide.
:23:51. > :23:56.In the out court he has been deadly. Also deadly to the forehand, because
:23:57. > :24:06.that is the most difficult serve to hit. Is that because as the receiver
:24:07. > :24:11.of the serve, for Wawrinka, to think it will go to his backhand so it is
:24:12. > :24:19.harder to readjust? Yes, it should be because Verdasco, the slice serve
:24:20. > :24:25.is an easier one to execute than the flat one so he will probably make
:24:26. > :24:31.80% of the slice serves that he hits, where is the flat one he might
:24:32. > :24:37.only get 60% of the time. Wawrinka is taking away the slice serve. On
:24:38. > :24:44.the deuce caught he is doing a good job but he is left open if Verdasco
:24:45. > :24:45.does make this flat one out wide in the deuce caught, if that makes any
:24:46. > :25:00.sense. Wawrinka challenging the call but
:25:01. > :25:10.walking straight over to the other side of the court so he knows it is
:25:11. > :25:11.a slightly abortive call. Rather half-hearted applause from the
:25:12. > :25:40.crowd. Bowled! What happened here? The ball
:25:41. > :25:45.just came through more quickly than he was expecting perhaps, higher as
:25:46. > :25:49.well. Because Stan takes such long waxwings, it leaves him vulnerable
:25:50. > :26:04.from time to time from the odd bad bounce. They don't get many here.
:26:05. > :26:12.Huge kick on that second serve from Verdasco there.
:26:13. > :26:38.Well, we have been here before. Six times actually. And of course it is
:26:39. > :26:43.not just the tie-break beckoning, Andy Murray is waiting as well. He
:26:44. > :26:49.will be on after this match. It could be soon. Especially if
:26:50. > :27:05.Verdasco keeps hitting forehands like that. Exactly. Come on,
:27:06. > :27:40.Fernando! We want Andy! So, tie-break time. Anybody's game.
:27:41. > :27:44.Well... He doesn't want to get a warning but that racket surely
:27:45. > :28:53.cracked. I could hear it from here. It is that forehand. How much he has
:28:54. > :28:56.been a great stalwart of this tournament for many years, and I'm
:28:57. > :29:05.not sure the tournament organisers want to lose the number two siege
:29:06. > :29:11.today and the number four seed yesterday, in the only two matches
:29:12. > :29:12.to be completed so far. That was a nervy second serve from Stanislas
:29:13. > :29:34.Wawrinka. He is on the board. That was a bit
:29:35. > :29:37.of a soft error from Verdasco. I'm surprised he opted for the slice, it
:29:38. > :29:51.is not a shot he hit that often. Stan is challenging. But I think it
:29:52. > :30:01.is more in hope than expectation because he knows that went along.
:30:02. > :30:04.Yes, and because he had to duck to hit that smash, he kind of guided
:30:05. > :30:30.it. It floated long. Verdasco lost his footing. The court
:30:31. > :30:35.was open down the line and Wawrinka opted to try to wrong-foot him and
:30:36. > :30:40.ended up putting the ball in the net. Suddenly here we are now with
:30:41. > :30:46.Danis last Wawrinka, the number two seed, twice a Grand Slam champion,
:30:47. > :30:52.facing a very early exit from this year's Aegon Championships at
:30:53. > :31:32.Queen's. Fernando Verdasco just two points from victory now.
:31:33. > :31:39.He simply has to hold both these points on his own serve, you feel.
:31:40. > :31:42.He's actually had eight break points in this match, Wawrinka, but has
:31:43. > :31:50.taken none of them. Huge roar. Huge forehand. Match
:31:51. > :32:22.point. So Stan lives to fight another day,
:32:23. > :32:25.but for how much longer? Was that a slightly tentative forehand from
:32:26. > :32:31.Wawrinka that allowed Verdasco to hit that winner, Peter? It was. It
:32:32. > :32:35.was a questionable target. You want to force the guy to hit a screaming
:32:36. > :32:45.winner off his weaker ground stroke if at all possible.
:32:46. > :33:01.So, Verdasco has three shots at knocking out the number two seed.
:33:02. > :33:08.That's a strange finish to the game. A complete mishit by Verdasco which,
:33:09. > :33:13.at the moment of impact, was sure to go out. It somehow looped in.
:33:14. > :33:28.Just! Just! The ball was in. Wawrinka is out.
:33:29. > :33:32.APPLAUSE. So 6-2, 6-3 in the second set
:33:33. > :33:36.tie-break means that Fernando Verdasco, of Spain, who got to the
:33:37. > :33:43.quarter-finals here in 2011, is through to the second round and the
:33:44. > :33:52.quickest of quick exits is made by Stan Wawrinka. The semi-finalist at
:33:53. > :33:56.Roland Garros a couple of weeks ago. Looking for competitive grass-court
:33:57. > :34:01.practice before heading to Wimbledon where he will be highly seeded. He
:34:02. > :34:05.won't get it here at Queen's Club, exit Wawrinka, we will see Fernando
:34:06. > :34:12.Verdasco in the next round. The sun has come out. To salute the Spaniard
:34:13. > :34:27.and the winner of that match will play the winner of Kevin Anderson,
:34:28. > :34:30.beaten finalist here last year and the Australian. We will hear from
:34:31. > :34:37.Fernando Verdasco in a moment, I think. A broad grin. Plenty of food
:34:38. > :34:43.for thought for his new adviser after that first foray on the grass
:34:44. > :34:47.this year. I suppose we should not be too surprised about Verdasco he
:34:48. > :34:52.got to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon three years ago. As Peter
:34:53. > :34:57.Fleming was saying throughout that commentary, that slicing serve, that
:34:58. > :35:01.huge forehand as well, especially on the penultimate point there which
:35:02. > :35:08.gave him the opportunity to win the match are huge weapons on the grass.
:35:09. > :35:12.He'll be using them to good effect, I'm sure, during the course of the
:35:13. > :35:15.rest of this tournament and at Wimbledon in a couple of weeks'
:35:16. > :35:23.time. Let's hear from the winner now. He's down in our interview
:35:24. > :35:27.position with Andrew Many congratulations. KCotter. Big win,
:35:28. > :35:31.number two seed has gone. You look settled on the grass from the start?
:35:32. > :35:39.Of course, very happy with today's win. It's always important to beat a
:35:40. > :35:44.player like Wawrinka so, you know, it's my first match of the season on
:35:45. > :35:49.grass. Very happy with the level that I played today and, hopefully,
:35:50. > :35:54.getting even better during the week. Thank you and I'm very happy. Thank
:35:55. > :35:59.you everybody here. Tell us how difficult it is for players to get
:36:00. > :36:04.used to playing on the grass? It's tough, of course. My first match on
:36:05. > :36:10.grass was when I was 20 or 21 years old. I didn't really play so much
:36:11. > :36:16.when I was young. I just needed to adapt my game once I was
:36:17. > :36:22.professional. You know, I did very good matches of my career on grass.
:36:23. > :36:28.I got used to it. Some years I did better, some years not. I try to
:36:29. > :36:34.enjoy because it's beautiful play. A wonderful feel here at Queen's next
:36:35. > :36:40.round it might be Anderson, they will be difficult? This tournament
:36:41. > :36:46.is so tough. Every match is so, so, difficult. Of course, you know, you
:36:47. > :36:49.don't really want to play with number seed one, number seed two. It
:36:50. > :36:53.doesn't matter at the end because there are players who aren't even
:36:54. > :36:57.seeded who are difficult or even more than the seeded sometimes. It's
:36:58. > :37:03.a 500 event, a big event. Every match win here is great. Many
:37:04. > :37:07.congratulations. A little bit of blue sky for you. Well done. Thank
:37:08. > :37:11.you very much. Long may it last. What a shock we had here. Two
:37:12. > :37:17.matches completed. We have lost a two-time Grand Slam winner in Stan
:37:18. > :37:21.Wawrinka. Last year's Wimbledon imsemi-finalist, Richard Gasquet.
:37:22. > :37:40.It's the defending Champion who's chasing title number five.
:37:41. > :38:00.Well the final is a long way away. He has a tough opener today against
:38:01. > :38:07.Nicolas Mahut. He is trying to chase history here to be the first man to
:38:08. > :38:13.win this title five times. Four time winners including McEnRoy, Becker,
:38:14. > :38:18.and Ruddock. He could win it five times. What a record it has been for
:38:19. > :38:24.Andy Murray. Peter Fleming has joined us. Great record for Andy
:38:25. > :38:29.Murray. Familiar court, he loves playing here. That's important?
:38:30. > :38:34.Absolutely. I think it's a situation that he must be looking forward to.
:38:35. > :38:38.He's probably a little nervous because he want wants to do well
:38:39. > :38:45.here at home. He has won it four times, it's probably not going to,
:38:46. > :38:51.you know, kill him if he loses. But as all of these guys are coming out
:38:52. > :38:54.onto this court, which is very slick, he'll be a little tentative.
:38:55. > :38:57.He will be a little worried about how he moves around on it. He will
:38:58. > :39:01.adjust quicker than most. Absolutely. He does adjust so well.
:39:02. > :39:06.He has proved it time and time again. Even when there wasn't that
:39:07. > :39:09.one week break, even in the one week break, five days off. That was
:39:10. > :39:14.important to recharge the batteries and give himself a chance before the
:39:15. > :39:17.grass-court season? He needed that. He said he was run down after the
:39:18. > :39:21.French and the clay-court season, understandably so. The amount of
:39:22. > :39:26.work he put in there. Take five days off, he practiced a little bit, not
:39:27. > :39:29.as much as he would have liked to have done because the weather. The
:39:30. > :39:33.last couple of days has been dodgy weather wise. The court will be
:39:34. > :39:39.slick. He is coming up against a player who is - talk about in form,
:39:40. > :39:43.won a tournament. Has all the match practice he needs on grass. It's a
:39:44. > :39:47.dangerous match. We have seen Stan Wawrinka go out. These type of
:39:48. > :39:51.conditions are ready for upsets. Andy Murray has to come out here
:39:52. > :39:55.very sharp today or he could be in trouble. Is absolutely. Well, here
:39:56. > :39:59.they come. This is the match everyone has been looking forward
:40:00. > :40:07.to. Everyone has taken their seats. A full house at the Queen's Club. He
:40:08. > :40:12.is in tremendous form this year, improved his game, he is the World
:40:13. > :40:18.Number 2. Only jock yobbing is ahead of him. A huge ovation for the
:40:19. > :40:21.defending champion. They know, they are a good tennis crowd, they know
:40:22. > :40:25.how serious this opponent is today and how difficult a start this is
:40:26. > :40:29.for the defending champion. That's the thing, Peter, it's lovely that
:40:30. > :40:34.we have some sunshine and the temperature has gone up 10 degrees
:40:35. > :40:40.as well, that will certainly help. These tough opening matches, when a
:40:41. > :40:45.player comes in like Nicolas Mahut who has just won, he comes in with
:40:46. > :40:53.so many wins under his belt? He has a great pedigree. One of the victors
:40:54. > :41:01.for Ruddock was a tight final against Yes in the Mahut. Third set.
:41:02. > :41:07.He lost that incredible match at Wimbledon. He knows his way on the
:41:08. > :41:19.grass-court. He should be a difficult opponent for Murray. Ivan
:41:20. > :41:27.Lendl back with Murray. He wants Andy to be more aggressive? He was a
:41:28. > :41:30.tentative player, and used his great athleticism to defend the court and
:41:31. > :41:34.counter punch against guys. He is not the same player any more. He is
:41:35. > :41:38.quite an aggressive player from the back of the court, certainly. I
:41:39. > :41:43.don't think that Ivan will have to harp on about that as much as he did
:41:44. > :41:48.early on. I think the main thing that he might try and get stuck into
:41:49. > :41:54.is just Andy's mental approach. When he goes out there. He does still
:41:55. > :42:01.occasionally like to lose his temper. Well, I don't know, I
:42:02. > :42:05.haven't spoken to Ivan about it, I would have thought he might say - I
:42:06. > :42:11.would like you to be a little bit cooler and face each moment with a
:42:12. > :42:15.calmer demeaner. It's get thing the balance right. You want him to be
:42:16. > :42:19.fired up and want to win. Sometimes that aggression comes out verbally,
:42:20. > :42:23.you also don't want him to drain his energy from that? Yeah. He tends to
:42:24. > :42:30.do that particularly in slams in the first two or three matches where he
:42:31. > :42:33.just gets a bit negative. He can't walk around and say nothing. That is
:42:34. > :42:39.not Andy Murray. He would lose a lot of his game. You want it to be more
:42:40. > :42:44.of a positive look about him rather than the whining stuff he does now
:42:45. > :42:51.and again. He is not as bad as he used to be. That wears you down,
:42:52. > :42:57.particularly with a Grand Slam over two weeks. Keep it in a positive
:42:58. > :43:03.vain than the whining. It sends a message to the opponent. When you
:43:04. > :43:08.play against the big guys don't give them advantages. They don't know
:43:09. > :43:13.what your' thinking rather than giving it away. Ivan Lendl will be
:43:14. > :43:17.great for him. That is one way of looking at it. What exists is now.
:43:18. > :43:23.Have you no power in the past or the future. Why spend all your time
:43:24. > :43:28.thinking about it. It's like - OK, I'm human. I do miss once in a
:43:29. > :43:36.while. So, it's over with. What am I going to do on the next shot? Where
:43:37. > :43:41.am I going to hit that? Easier said than done though? Of course it is.
:43:42. > :43:47.If it was that easy, we'd all do it, right! Yes, exactly. He has made
:43:48. > :43:51.changes, hasn't he, Peter, Murray, he has improved the shots,
:43:52. > :43:56.particularly the second serve, a bigger weapon than it used to be?
:43:57. > :44:00.The forehand as well. He changed it slightly technically, he had has
:44:01. > :44:12.gone back to the drawing board? Has he? Yeah. His forehand is an
:44:13. > :44:16.aggressive shot. It a weapon, assuming he is feeling confident. He
:44:17. > :44:20.loses confidence and goes back to his style of putting it down the
:44:21. > :44:25.middle and run. He changed the serve a bit technically. He went back and
:44:26. > :44:29.spoke to a number of junior coaches and realised a lot of the coaches
:44:30. > :44:35.don't teach the technical, it's about position and tactics. He went
:44:36. > :44:41.back to actually learn a new technique to improve his serve? For
:44:42. > :44:47.me, I agree with that. Andy Murray tended to be a little bit
:44:48. > :44:50.predictable at some stages where his first serve went, particularly on
:44:51. > :44:55.the add side when it was a big point and he needed it. He would go wide.
:44:56. > :45:00.On the forehand he would go down the middle. He has changed that a lot.
:45:01. > :45:04.His second serve, to me he flattens it out more than he used to. Miles
:45:05. > :45:10.per hour have gone up a little bit much we don't see so many second
:45:11. > :45:14.serves that at some stages were going into mid 70s were saying - hit
:45:15. > :45:21.me. Now there is not so much of a weakness there. I think he has
:45:22. > :45:26.improved his serve definitely. They thought there was something wrong
:45:27. > :45:30.with his serve and got coaches to help him with his technique that
:45:31. > :45:38.gave him more confidence. Had he is willing to hit the second serve with
:45:39. > :45:45.a lot more power than he used to be. It's about having confidence and if
:45:46. > :45:53.you doubt your shot, the crucial times, it falls apart? Look at the
:45:54. > :45:58.great servers, Pete Sampras. A second serve came there wasn't
:45:59. > :46:02.hesitation he was going to hit a second serve 110mph down the middle
:46:03. > :46:06.and go for it. I'm not saying Andy Murray should suddenly do that, this
:46:07. > :46:11.increase in power, it's a work in progress, you have to have that
:46:12. > :46:14.concentration that you can hit it - not the concentration, the
:46:15. > :46:20.confidence on big points. Easy to do it in the first set. 4-4 in the
:46:21. > :46:25.fifth or 30-30 can you do it then? He is showing he can. As far asthma
:46:26. > :46:29.Mahut is concerned, great doubles player. One of the best in the
:46:30. > :46:32.world. Two in the world at the moment behind Jamie Murray. Shows he
:46:33. > :46:35.knows his way around the net. He can come forward. He is going to attack
:46:36. > :46:45.today? Absolutely, and he has always been
:46:46. > :46:51.an attacking player, which is why he has done so well on grass. The fact
:46:52. > :46:55.he has won so many doubles tournaments has given him a lot of
:46:56. > :47:02.confidence as well so he is coming into this match feeling very good
:47:03. > :47:06.about himself. And as Andy is, obviously, so, you know, it
:47:07. > :47:15.certainly will be interesting. And of course he has a win against
:47:16. > :47:28.Murray here. Andy has got to bully him, hasn't he, to start with. Yes,
:47:29. > :47:35.he gets a target. And he likes that. Mahut volleys very well. The stature
:47:36. > :47:39.of being number one in the world, I know he has dropped to number two
:47:40. > :47:47.now, but you walk around with your shoulders nice and broad after that.
:47:48. > :47:53.It is relatively late for him to win at doubles, and now he has won
:47:54. > :47:57.tournament so he has got to be one of the most confident players on the
:47:58. > :48:11.tour. He will see this as something to go after. He has no fear, he has
:48:12. > :48:16.played amazing Davis Cup ties, he has experience. Didn't he play
:48:17. > :48:20.yesterday, so he might be a little bit jaded mentally. He won't have
:48:21. > :48:26.time to celebrate because he knew he had to come here and play so that
:48:27. > :48:38.could go either way for him. It could either make him tired or uber
:48:39. > :48:43.confident. Thank you. John is on his way to the commentary box. Andy is
:48:44. > :48:48.already there. COMMENTATOR: Andy is going for title
:48:49. > :48:52.number five at Queen's and this is where the journey begins to try to
:48:53. > :48:56.take a second Wimbledon title as well. The grass court season is not
:48:57. > :49:01.long but he has plenty of support behind him. Andy Murray, the world
:49:02. > :50:07.number two, the British number one of course, up against Nicolas Mahut.
:50:08. > :50:13.34 years old, Nicolas Mahut, ranked 51st in the world in singles. Better
:50:14. > :50:21.than that though, especially on a grass court, where he must be
:50:22. > :51:44.considered top ten, maybe top 15. Certainly on current form.
:51:45. > :51:52.Andy Murray telling me yesterday that he took five straight days off
:51:53. > :51:57.after losing in the French Open final to Novak Djokovic. What a
:51:58. > :52:02.bruising tournament that was. And immediately the conversations have
:52:03. > :52:07.started between Jerry Solomon, Ivan Lendl's manager, and Matt Gentry,
:52:08. > :52:12.who looks after Andy Murray. Shortly after that it was confirmed by text
:52:13. > :52:16.after sleeping on it for a night by Yvan Lendl that he was willing to
:52:17. > :52:38.give it a go. That was not the best drop shot
:52:39. > :52:43.there from Mahut, not when you are going up against Andy Murray. It
:52:44. > :52:44.needs to be shorter than that. He got away with it because he
:52:45. > :53:03.anticipated the volley. Take a close look at Andy Murray's
:53:04. > :53:09.footwork, and you see how comfortable he is on this surface,
:53:10. > :53:11.four times champion here of course, unlike Stanislas Wawrinka who went
:53:12. > :53:36.out earlier onto Fernando Verdasco. No doubt about it, Mahut is one of
:53:37. > :53:39.the best volley is on the tour. Even with the low ones, he has a very
:53:40. > :54:56.good technique, very confident. A couple of times in that game
:54:57. > :55:00.there, Mahut serving the body serve. That is a good thing to do,
:55:01. > :55:08.especially against Murray, because he is so adept at that return of
:55:09. > :55:15.serve. I don't think enough players use that serve these days, they go
:55:16. > :55:35.for the aces all the time. You can't do too many of those against Murray.
:55:36. > :55:44.And here is the aggressive play, the second serve. You will see a lot
:55:45. > :56:37.more of those, I imagine. Taking a chance, chipping and charging.
:56:38. > :56:45.Unlucky, unlucky. Yes, this half volley here was good, but he was
:56:46. > :57:06.unlucky that it hit the top of the net and slowed the speed up.
:57:07. > :57:13.They might be looking for David Beckham, but I suspect they are
:57:14. > :57:25.trained on Andy Murray just at this point.
:57:26. > :58:05.tournament. He knows how to come through. This is a real test. We
:58:06. > :58:12.have seen from Murray a real respect for Mahut as an opponent. He knows
:58:13. > :58:16.he has got to get going straightaway, and he looked fresh.
:58:17. > :58:20.Yes, he pumped his fist, and he hasn't done that for a while. Only
:58:21. > :58:27.just started the match but he looks very sharp already. So does Mahut.
:58:28. > :58:32.This will be a high-quality much no matter what happens with the score
:58:33. > :58:38.because you have two excellent grass court players. Looking back at who
:58:39. > :58:49.Mahut beat in 2007, losing out to Roddick, he beat Younus -- Jonas
:58:50. > :58:55.Bjorkman. This is a court he has great memories on. After that year
:58:56. > :59:00.he qualified at Wimbledon and beat Clement there. This is an enticing
:59:01. > :59:07.match, one to make the tournament director nervous. Seven French men
:59:08. > :59:13.in the draw. The most populous nation in this jaw. Great Britain
:59:14. > :00:37.second, with five. That's a good serve. Only 105mph.
:00:38. > :00:42.It's where he places it. And at what time in the game and also where had
:00:43. > :00:49.he served the previous time on that point. He's a very intelligent
:00:50. > :00:52.player. Replaced the top of the world rankings, as has been
:00:53. > :00:56.mentioned by his opponent's brother this week. Well done Jamie Murray,
:00:57. > :01:35.OBE. What a swerve on that serve. It's
:01:36. > :02:22.one of those ones - Oh! Duck there to avoid the big hit.
:02:23. > :03:01.Yeah. APPLAUSE As you would expect from a
:03:02. > :03:14.man who won a tournament yesterday. Arriving here in fantastic form.
:03:15. > :03:18.These courts perhaps a little different from the ones in Holland,
:03:19. > :03:21.but evidence of how dangerous a match this is for Andy Murray, break
:03:22. > :04:01.point. These were very fine instinctses
:04:02. > :04:07.from Mahut that got him through the game. A couple of timing errors from
:04:08. > :04:13.Andy Murray on the forehand, the one that went out wide. His options were
:04:14. > :04:17.limited there on that backhand slice. Brilliant play from the
:04:18. > :04:24.Frenchman? That second serve from Murray was half caught and at 78mph.
:04:25. > :04:31.Mahut there sort of hit that delicate shot. Murray a little
:04:32. > :04:35.unlucky with that backhand. That was a little bit short. Mahut is always
:04:36. > :04:41.pushing forwards, not charging at everything. You can just sense he
:04:42. > :04:44.has that presence of Murray knowing if he doesn't hit the ball deep, his
:04:45. > :04:51.opponent is going to do something with it. He's very consistent right
:04:52. > :04:59.now. He is seeing the ball so big and looks so confident out here.
:05:00. > :05:02.Fantastic year in the doubles, won Rotterdam and won Miami, Monte
:05:03. > :05:13.Carlo. Semi-final of Madrid. He's won a lot of matches this year. He's
:05:14. > :05:16.one of only of around about a dozen single players who plays doubles on
:05:17. > :05:23.a regular basis, which is such a shame. There's no doubt the rankings
:05:24. > :05:29.would be an awful lot different if the single players played, but they
:05:30. > :05:32.don't so often these day, but here's one who does. So a bright end to the
:05:33. > :05:48.day, weather wise anyway. A lot of net calls going on in this
:05:49. > :06:08.match already. Nicely handled though, isn't it? You
:06:09. > :06:10.can mess them up quite easily. A change of direction. Just a simple
:06:11. > :06:46.length push down-the-line. That is just a gorgeous point, from
:06:47. > :06:53.the Frenchman there. A change of pace with the slice. Not giving
:06:54. > :06:56.Murray much pace to work with. Then he just rifles that backhand
:06:57. > :07:04.down-the-line when he gets the chance. That's a beautiful shot.
:07:05. > :07:15.11-shot rally, finished with that wonderful stroke.
:07:16. > :07:25.See how comfortable he was on that low volley? He would be handy at
:07:26. > :07:29.County Week, wouldn't he? Exactly. He really is an old fashioned
:07:30. > :07:33.player. Look how low he is on that one. The depth in that volley. Gave
:07:34. > :07:47.Murray not much chance on the next ball. Excellent.
:07:48. > :07:54.The first time he has come in too early on the shot, in terms of where
:07:55. > :07:59.you hit it. He has been tactically so good, that one came in from too
:08:00. > :08:03.far back and went straight into the forehand, then Murray didn't have to
:08:04. > :08:22.move too much to hit that passing shot.
:08:23. > :08:30.First double fault in this match. Murray already with four aces to his
:08:31. > :08:34.opponent's zero, but it's very rarely about the amount of aces, it
:08:35. > :08:52.is's about the timing of these things.
:08:53. > :09:04.Oh. Two in a row, thats with a bit tight.
:09:05. > :09:13.40-40 in this game. Two doubles, deuce. I think he thought this game
:09:14. > :09:15.was already over. Mentally he's just tapped out a little bit here. He's
:09:16. > :09:38.got to regain his composure. So good. UMPIRE advantage Murray. I
:09:39. > :09:47.can guarantee you, Murray was the only person who knew that was
:09:48. > :09:48.coming. Lovely disguise, inside the baseline and Murray with the break
:09:49. > :10:34.point. By his standards, that was not a
:10:35. > :10:39.good volley. He was annoyed at himself. Perhaps he had one eye on
:10:40. > :10:44.Andy Murray down the other end, running as fast as he could, even
:10:45. > :10:47.for a possible lost cause over there, Mahut just seeing that in the
:10:48. > :10:49.corner of his eye and trying a little bit too much to get close to
:10:50. > :12:05.the line. It's another break point. APPLAUSE Well, you won't see that
:12:06. > :12:12.too many times during the grass-court service. A break of
:12:13. > :12:18.serve from down. Wonderful passing shot. Mahut, the architect of his
:12:19. > :12:22.own downfall there, a forehand approach that was never going
:12:23. > :12:24.anywhere, two double faults. Extraordinary. Didn't expect to see
:12:25. > :12:41.that. APPLAUSE
:12:42. > :12:46.A bit of a concern there as Murray came in and slipped. Don't know
:12:47. > :12:51.whether that was the front foot or the back foot, there is a good three
:12:52. > :12:59.or four foot skidmark here. Pretty controlled. You look back and go - I
:13:00. > :13:13.didn't mean that, particularly! During Wimbledon, Murray will rotate
:13:14. > :14:40.about six pairs of shoes. Oh. Now, that's difficult. Just
:14:41. > :14:45.pushing off. From the back foot, slightly changing direction. He has
:14:46. > :14:51.a significant amount of tape on his left knee. That hurts the hip flexes
:14:52. > :15:04.those ones. He seems to be OK. APPLAUSE.
:15:05. > :15:19.New tennis balls, I always think this is a bit rough. He just comes
:15:20. > :15:25.underneath it, Murray. Mahut trying to push. It didn't look too bad.
:15:26. > :15:29.Again, those little slips, the confidence just takes a little
:15:30. > :15:35.bit... He starts worrying a little bit. Murray did the same thing when
:15:36. > :15:42.he moved up close to the net. Looked up at the umpire as if to say it is
:15:43. > :15:43.a bit slippery here, but the umpire is not going to stop this match. No
:15:44. > :15:58.way. Very interesting, the intensity from
:15:59. > :16:02.Andy Murray straightaway. Playing with a real freshness and I can't
:16:03. > :16:08.help but think some of that is his new coach, Ivan Lendl has rejoined
:16:09. > :16:17.the team and is in the courtside box. It's a mixture of the
:16:18. > :16:21.re-establishing of that partnership, and a quality opponent who everyone
:16:22. > :16:31.in the world respects very much, down the other end. Right behind
:16:32. > :17:11.Nicolas Mahut serving, a fellow just making his way in.
:17:12. > :17:19.He was a bit ill last week, Andy Murray, after the trials and
:17:20. > :19:11.tribulations of the French Open. He took a few days off and became ill.
:19:12. > :19:19.Just to say, we will be leaving this match here on BBC Two in a few
:19:20. > :19:24.minutes but you will be able to continue watching this match and the
:19:25. > :19:29.tennis at Queen's on the red button, or you can watch it on the BBC sport
:19:30. > :19:31.website. But for the next few minutes we are going to stay here on
:19:32. > :19:59.BBC Two. As soon as the ball gets above the
:20:00. > :20:04.clubhouse, the wind coming in from the west, as it is, roughly Heathrow
:20:05. > :20:26.direction, always takes it about ten foot further wide.
:20:27. > :20:46.Strong. And from a break down in this set, 5-4 up. That was a good
:20:47. > :20:50.service game there. I mentioned the finish in the French Open, finishing
:20:51. > :20:56.with a loss to Novak Djokovic once again in the final of the Grand
:20:57. > :21:03.Slam, he came home and got ill. Immune system low. Of course he has
:21:04. > :21:06.baby Sofia at home, just over four months old, and you pick up
:21:07. > :21:13.everything they get. Especially when you are run down, but a wonderful
:21:14. > :21:19.time in his life. Yes, he is in such good place, and he loves this period
:21:20. > :21:24.when he is at home, this month, five weeks. It centres him again, and
:21:25. > :21:31.after the great clay court season he has had, back home now, and it makes
:21:32. > :21:36.things so much easier. He looks very eager today, he looks very sharp.
:21:37. > :21:44.Sometimes at Queen's we have seen him in the first round or two
:21:45. > :21:47.looking mentally fatigued. But he doesn't look that way at all to me,
:21:48. > :22:04.he looks fresh and eager to go. He beat Nicolas Mahut from this end
:22:05. > :22:16.last time. If he could do so again, he would make this set.
:22:17. > :23:06.This is absolutely drama free volley, isn't it. That's textbook.
:23:07. > :23:19.That is brilliant. That is just such good feel of the ball. That was a
:23:20. > :23:24.difficult shot, a bit behind him but he managed to get perfect balance.
:23:25. > :23:26.Look at the extension on that racket, and he just cuts threw the
:23:27. > :23:44.ball. So Mahut holes and it is five games
:23:45. > :23:50.all. Sorry but we do have to leave the tennis now on BBC Two so if you
:23:51. > :23:55.want to continue watching the match, you can on the red button, or watch
:23:56. > :24:01.it online on the BBC sport website. We will be back tomorrow at the
:24:02. > :24:02.usual time at one o'clock on BBC Two. If you