Comedown Kid: Murray No Match for Nadal

After the astonishing comeback two days ago, the somewhat predictable comedown last night. British tennis hopes suffered their annual ritual dashing when Andy Murray crashed out of Wimbledon in a comprehensive thrashing by Spain's Rafael Nadal.

Murray's unlikely scramble back from near defeat on Monday to win a place in yesterday's quarter-final may have briefly opened the smallest possibility of a British finalist, but in truth few believed he could overcome the number two seed. In that, the observers were proved emphatically right. The 21-year-old from Dunblane was dispatched in straight sets, thoroughly outclassed by a devastating display of power and precision that even the defeated Murray described as "ridiculous".

Certainly, the British number one may come to regret his decision to flex his upper arm at Centre Court on Monday while celebrating his five-set triumph over Frenchman Richard Gasquet, leading to a brief flurry of media interest in his musculature.

Murray is in the best shape of his life, we are told, 8lb of muscle heavier and fitter than he's ever been, but when he walked on to court next to Nadal, one part sweatband, three parts biceps, the Scot looked like a lanky adolescent who had taken the wrong door. In less than two hours he was back in the changing room, having lost 6-3 6-2 6-4 without once forcing a break point .

This time Center Court was unable to do much about it. In part that is because Nadal is such a likable player - generous, modest and preposterously talented - that he has justly earned significant support from British crowds .

Murray has some way to go before he fully wins Wimbledon over, remaining admired more than he is loved.

"He was fantastic the other day, the best he's ever been," said Celia Bielawski from St Albans, watching the player on the practice courts yesterday with her 15-year-old son Ross Bogle. "He hasn't quite got the charm of some tennis players, and I think it's unfortunate British people react to charm as much as talent. But he's getting there. He's growing up."

"We will be supporting Nadal," said Margaret Taylor, sitting on the hill supposedly named after his opponent. "We like it that he's such a nice lad. He always turns out nice and smart. He plays really well, of course, but he talks to people properly and respects them."

And Murray? "For a start his language on court is atrocious. He never looks tidy. I just think he's not a nice young man. And he's very anti-English. Doesn't support the English football team."

For Murray's part, after his defeat yesterday he again described the support as "awesome". But he added: "Unfortunately I didn't really give them enough to shout about. But hopefully next year I'll come back and do a bit better."

What, specifically, would he need to work on to reach what he admitted was another level? Dictating more of the rallies, he said, and being more aggressive on the first ball. "I mean, there are so many things I can improve. Pretty much every part of my game, I think."

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