When he started his first round match against Andrey Kuznetsov on Tuesday, Andy Murray looked far from convincing. He, however, ended strongly to sweep aside his Russian opponent, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 to take his place in the second round.
By now, it has come to be repeated, almost ad nauseam, that the Murray of 2017 pales in comparison to the Murray of 2016 who claimed the world No 1 ranking on back of some scintillating performances.
Poor form has plagued the Scotsman off late. Injuries and ailments have not helped matters either. From shingles at the start of the year to an injury to his right elbow, the going has been tough for Murray in 2017.
A bout of flu right before the start of the French Open only dented his preparations further. It summed up the way his season has had panned out so far.
From a slow start to an exciting finish
Andy Murray saves three break points from 0-40 in his first game of this year's French Open... #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/bC03AguxBt
— Stuart Fraser (@stu_fraser) May 30, 2017
Factoring the litany of these detractions, Murray’s opener at the Philippe-Chatrier was set to be a major challenge.
It was a rough ride from the get go. He faced three break points in his opening service game of the match. Murray managed to save all three and saved himself from conceding the lead early into the first set. The Brit went onto break Kuznetsov, before taking the set 6-4.
Kuznetsov, though, came back strongly in the second and levelled things up.
The setback seemed to have riled up Murray, who got into his stride in the final two sets and wrested back control.
Murray was the puppeteer to his opponent’s puppet, pulling the strings, toying with him by sending him all over the court even as he drew out the errors from Kuznetsov’s racquet.
C'est fait pour @andy_murray 6/4, 4/6, 6/2, 6/0 #RG17 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/XPrL1Grv3Z
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 30, 2017
“He [Kuznetsov] goes for his shots. He takes your time away. [So], I started to feel better as the match went on,” Murray said after the game.
It was in a long time that Murray showed glimpses of his old self and produced a number of winners befitting the stature of the world’s best player.
He was expected to rise up to the challenge. To his credit, he didn’t stumble or buckle under pressure.
It’s also fitting that Murray’s return to form finally came about in the French capital, where he reached the peak of his career.
“2016 was a great year for me,” Murray said. “I have very good memories of Paris from last year. I became the world No 1 in Bercy [at the Paris Masters].”