By Laura Amato
Andy Murray isn’t tired.
The world No. 2 has gone through just about every emotional high one human being can experience in the last few months—becoming a first-time father, winning his second Wimbledon championship and defending his Olympic gold medal at the Rio Games—and it would be easy to understand why he might be a bit weary on the court.
But he isn’t. If anything, Murray is staging one of the most impressive summers of any athlete in any sport, riding a wave of professional and personal success that is rare at any level.
Murray kept his string of successes alive on Thursday afternoon, defeating Spain’s Marcel Granollers in straight sets at Arthur Ashe Stadium, moving on to the third round of the US Open.
“I have capitalized on a few opportunities,” Murray said after the win. “When some of the other top guys maybe hadn’t played or struggled or lost, you know, I have taken those chances when they have come my way.”
Since the beginning of Queen’s Club Aegon Championships in June, Murray has racked up 24 wins and just one defeat on the court and he’s playing with the kind of confidence that has many suggesting he could soon take over the No. 1 spot in the world.
Murray’s second-round tilt at the Open was an exercise in efficiency, taking just under two and a half hours. His biggest challenge in the match came from the weather as pouring rain on the new Arthur Ashe roof caused an unexpected amount of noise in the stadium.
“You can’t hear anything, really,” Murray said. “I mean, you could hear the line calls, but not so much when the opponents—you know, when he was hitting the ball or even when you’re hitting the ball, really, which is tough purely because we’re not used to it. That’s what makes it challenging.”
Murray recorded a first-serve percentage of just 43 percent and notched 28 unforced errors, so this latest win wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly more than enough to advance. At this point, that’s really all he is worried about.
“Yeah, I felt I did pretty well. It was a 20, 25-minute period in the match where it was tough and, you know, tricky,” he said. “I didn’t play that well during that period and managed to come through it thankfully and play some good stuff in the second and third sets.”
Murray advances to face Frenchman Gilles Simon or Paolo Lorenzi of Italy in the last 32 on Saturday.
He’s not crowing himself Open champ yet, but Murray’s confidence on the court has never been higher. He’s not only winning—he’s dominating—and he’s simply looking to enjoy the ride.
“It’s really hard to say one thing, definitively. Like this is what’s made the difference,” Murray said. “There have been a number of changes this year, and I think all of them came together at the same time. That has made for a successful few months.”
