Murray Through After Pavel Retires

Andy Murray's start to this year's Australian Open was over almost before it began with the veteran Romanian Andrei Pavel pulling out after only 45 minutes when trailing 6-2, 3-1 in their first round match in the Rod Laver arena. It was a recurrence of the back trouble that had kept him out of action for almost the whole of last year.

Murray, having lost in the first round of the Australian Open last year, and this time with considerably greater expectations on his every broadening shoulders as the No 4 seed, was understandably a little nervous at the beginning on another fiercely hot morning, although once he had broken Pavel for a 3-2 first set lead the match was as good as over.

Pavel, whose last slam was the Australian Open last year, called for the trainer at the end of a first set which lasted only 31 minutes and then, serving at 3-1, 0-15 down in the second set, decided he could no longer go on. Murray shook hands sympathetically, waved to the early morning crowd, and made for the locker rooms, his day's work done.

The last and only time these two had previously played was in 2005 at the US Open, only Murray's second slam. On that occasion Pavel, who has one of the finest backhands on the Tour, but who now must be close to retiring after this latest setback, took him to five sets, testing the rookie professional to the limits. He may barely have recognised the Scot this time, so much upper body muscle has he put on in the last year. By comparison the 34-year-old Romanian looked every bit his age, and more than a little rotund.

Murray's initial nerves, understandable enough given the huge build up he has received, showed themselves in a number of miss-hits and wayward ground strokes. He was also just a shade slow to track down a couple of Pavel drop-shots, but them in the fifth game he finished off a scrambling rally with a lovely round arm forehand, and the early jitters fell away.

Pavel was like a length of old rope, gradually fraying with each pull. Several foot faults indicated that he was having trouble on his serve as his back creaked, and Murray moved in for a swift kill. The first week of a slam, particularly in Australia when the conditions are so often oven hot, is all about conserving energy, and Murray, thanks to Pavel's unfortunate problems, did precisely that.