ANDY MURRAY avoided a slip-up in his first match on grass but his opponent was not so lucky.
Murray complained about the conditions on the court more than once during his 7-6 7-6 victory over Nicolas Mahut, who fell during the second set tiebreak and seemed to tweak his groin.
Murray said: “We’ve had a lot of rain and not much play on the courts which makes it a little bit slippery.
“It’s frustrating for both of us at times. We want to play our best tennis but when it’s difficult to move and get in the right position, it’s hard.
“I hope that he didn’t hurt himself too badly at the end, especially with Wimbledon just around the corner.”
Murray had to come from a break down in both sets against an opponent who lived up to his tricky billing.
For long periods, this match went exactly how you had expected – or feared, if you were a Murray fan.
Mahut was playing like a man with plenty of pedigree on grass who had just won a tournament on the surface.
And Murray looked like someone taking to the green stuff for the first time this year, and in difficult circumstances.
Ivan Lendl, back in Murray’s corner, smiled on at least once occasion and even clapped on another.
But it was not all plain sailing on a court made slippery by the earlier rain which had delayed proceedings for the second day running.
The British No 1 will be grateful for a good workout and for getting off court before injury or the rain could intervene.
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