ROME: Britain’s Andy Murray will head to the French Open with renewed confidence after coming close to ousting defending Rome Masters champion Rafael Nadal in a thrilling 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 quarterfinal defeat.
Although claiming a win on Friday would not “change my confidence that much”, Murray admitted: “Winning a match like that would probably be a big boost to confidence, but I feel that my game is getting there.
“I don’t think people respect the severity of what it’s like to come back from back surgery… it’s a hard thing to come back from, it takes time.
“Now I’m getting back to where I want to be and that’s pleasing, with a couple of big months ahead.”
Whether Murray can maintain the intensity and power over the longer, five-set games at Roland Garros remains to be seen.
But for most of a hard-hitting clash with Nadal, he was in blistering form and more than once turned a crowd supporting the Spanish ace on his side. (Agencies)
