Andy Murray v Ivan Ljubicic – live! | Tom Lutz

• Hit F5 or use the autorefresh for the latest updates • Email your thoughts and gags to tom.lutz@guardian.co.uk • Follow Tom on Twitter , if that’s your thing • Read about Laura Robson’s defeat to Maria Sharapova Fourth set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 5-4* Ljubicic Murray, a break up, decides he may as well have a swing or two. Murray will need to serve this one out though. Fourth set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, *5-3 Ljubicic Murray’s not hanging around, he can still squeeze out 30 minutes of My Family if he plays the next game well. Hold to love. Fourth set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 4-3* Ljubicic Murray won’t sit back on the ropes during Ljubicic’s service game. He tears around the court and only just misses a backhand down the line after being moved about by Ljubicic. Woah! Murray picks up a half-volley between his legs and actually wins the point. His casualness made it all the better. Ljubicic still holds though. Fourth set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, *4-2 Ljubicic Murray had been merely competent up until that last game but started to attack. He really is a terrifying player when he works up some momentum. The cameraman is building up some steam as the match goes on, he’s picked out Ian Hislop, Bob Willis and Brian Moore in the last couple of games. Fourth set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 3-2* Ljubicic Wow. Murray is starting to unleash some viscous shots now. A skimming backhand makes it 15-15 and soon enough it’s deuce. Another great backhand – he’s hit 13 winners off that wing – takes us to break point, which he converts. Fourth set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, *2-2 Ljubicic Bad news My Family fans: if this game doesn’t end by 9.30 it’s going to be shunted to BBC2. I don’t think the BT man is in it now, so you’re not missing anything. Ljubicic reels off a wicked forehand at 30-30 but Murray hits an equally stunning crosscourt backhand to make it 40-30. Fourth set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 1-2* Ljubicic A nasty dose of net-itis from Ljubicic after a great return from Murray opens up a 0-15 lead. Murray stretches his hamstring, we’ll see how that develops. A wonderful lob brings up break point for Murray, he landed it right on the line. His next shot isn’t quite as precise though and Ljubicic goes on to hold. Fourth set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, *1-1 Ljubicic The match goes to two hours and I’m now an hour into overtime, meaning I’ve clocked up a free packet of prawn coacktail at the canteen*. Ljubicic is still fighting though and looks twice the man he did in the third set. He notches a break point after yet more great play at the net. Murray saves with a rocket down the line. Ljubicic prangs an easy forehand into the net and groans in frustration. Murray seals the game shortly afterwards. *Offer only applicable between 3am and 6am on Tuesdays in November. Fourth set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 0-1* Ljubicic A mad dash for a toilet break from Lutz, who makes it back just in time to see Ljubicic win the first game of the set. “Surely Sue Barker is kind of generically everywhere,” says Clare Davies in response to the Barker Paradox. No, you’re thinking of Michael McI***re. Third set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, *6-1 Ljubicic Murray sends down an ace to bring up set point. Ljubicic sends his return long on the next serve and it’s two sets to one. Third set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, 5-1* Ljubicic An actual game for Ljubicic there! Four whole points! The man’s on a roll. Third set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, *5-0 Ljubicic I’m guessing Ljubicic is conserving energy for the fourth set now. One shot doesn’t even make the net. The problem is for him, that Murray gains momentum. Third set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, 4-0* Ljubicic Sue Barker is now on two channels: on Question of Sport on BBC2 and telling us about Question of Sport on BBC1. Hopefully this won’t create some kind of Sue paradox where she exists in two places at once and the universe ends just as Murray is hitting form. I should say Ljubicic is looking tired now. Those groundstrokes don’t quite have the power they did in the first set and Murray secures the double break. Third set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, *3-0 Ljubicic “This ‘come on Tim’ nonsense could be the making of Murray,” says Lloyd. All it needs, is for Murray himself, upon winning some stunning point to scream ‘Come on Tim’ as loud as he can, and he’s sorted. Loved forever more.” He’s doing OK without that. Just took the game to love. Third set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, 2-0* Ljubicic Murray executes a delightful drop shot to make it 0-15. Not a bad shot to make against a man whose top speed is around 7mph. Murray gets a hand when Ljubicic smacks a forehand into the net and he’s got two break point. Ljubicic saves the first with a wide serve but can’t save the second. Third set: Murray 6-4, 4-6, *1-0 Ljubicic “If you want to keep up the Hamlet superiority, you can always shout ‘a hit, a palpable hit’ during a rally,” giggles Peter Hillmore. Murray as gone to the toilet and Ljubicic has called the trainer on to see to a blister. Blisters are why I always lose my five setters. It’s what did for me in the Chantry Road Under-12s tournament. That and my opponent’s dad was the umpire. He reversed a call when his son got in a huff. The injustice still burns inside me. I was later kicked out of the club for fighting: the blazers couldn’t handle someone with my talent and attitude. Talking of dodgy temperaments: Murray looks ragged, missing a few clear openings – including paffing a shot into the net at 40-30. He takes the game though. Just about. Second set: Murray 6-4, 4-6* Ljubicic Ljubicic sends down an ace to make it 30-0 and that sets him fair to take the set. He wins it with another ace. Second set: Murray 6-4, *4-5 Ljubicic “Hamlet doesn’t say ‘I knew him so well’: he doesn’t even say ‘well’. He says ‘Alas, poor Yorick / I knew him, Horatio’,” says Justin Horton. “What did they teach you at school?” Look I did Coriolanus, alright? There are zero good lines in that. I don’t even know if I spelled Coriolanus right. Murray looks much better on his serve there as drops just one point. Second set: Murray 6-4, 3-5* Ljubicic “This ‘Come on Tim’ thing … it’s got nothing to do with the relative popularity of Messrs Henman and Murray, has it?,” says Max Dowler. “It’s just that getting it deliberately wrong was quite funny the first time someone shouted it back in 2007 or whenever, isn’t it?” Completely true. I still think it’s funny now but that says a lot about me. COME ON VIRGINIA! Second set: Murray 6-4, *3-4 Ljubicic One of those lovely moments where someone shrieks in fear at completely the wrong time: a Ljubicic forehand is going way long and a lady screams. Actually, it could have been Ljubicic fan. Murray serves his sixth double-fault of the game to make it 30-30. A great backhand down the line brings up 40-30, a beautiful shot. Second set: Murray 6-4, 2-4* Ljubicic I was up at 5.55am to buy my Olympics tickets this morning – women’s football final and weightlifting since you don’t ask – so apologies if I drop off at some point. Murray plays some nice stuff to make it 0-30 but Ljubicic shrugs and it’s soon 40-30. A huge serve and a forehand round things off. Second set: Murray 6-4, *2-3 Ljubicic “Murray has some of Hamlet’s northern froideur and plenty of the Prince’s angsty indecision,” says Gary Naylor. Where do you get this stuff from Naylor? Your mind is fascinating. “And, spookily, his girlfriend looks very like his mother.” Alas poor Dokic I knew her so well. That doesn’t really fit but I feel like I should get the last word in as your host for the evening. Murray takes the game easily-ish. Second set: Murray 6-4, 1-3* Ljubicic “Looks like a long evening for you,” guffaws my colleague Jacob Steinberg. “And to think McDonalds is just down the road.” I should point out Steinberg is on the 1.30am shift (aka The winner’s shift) so we’ll see who’s laughing at 10pm when Andy’s wrapped this up in four sets. While Murray growls and prowls, Ljubicic looks like a man who doesn’t give an eff. He doesn’t even care when he tries a drop shot so laughable it could have come from Murray. Second set: Murray 6-4, *1-2 Ljubicic “Has no-one even thrown Murray a curveball and yelled: ‘Marry me Steffi!!!’ yet? I thought at least one joker would pull that one out the bag,” says Pete Brooksbank. Sounds like you’re the man, Pete. If you get lucky Andy may even agree. You could do worse, he’s worth a few quid. Murray takes the game but there was another double fault in there. Second set: Murray 6-4, 0-2* Ljubicic “I think the sweatband makes Ljubicic’s head look a pie and crust,” says Ian McCourt from down the office. I am yet to have my tea, this pie talk is making things worse. Murray nearly rescues a rally from a seemingly hopeless situation but sends a simple backhand long. Second set: Murray 6-4, *0-1 Ljubicic Impressive stuff from Murray at the end of the set. Ljubicic was a break up and serving well but Murray moved him about and got back into the match. Ljubicic helped him with some loose shots though. And Murray shows his generous side, sending down a double fault and a loose volley makes it 15-40. Another double fault leads to the break. First set: Murray 6-4* Ljubicic “Good to see 80s singer Rick Astley in the umpire’s chair,” chortles Gary Naylor. “Filled out a bit since his heyday though.” Bet he’s never going to change his love for you, eh? That was Glenn Medeiros wasn’t it? Bah. Murray’s charge continues as he takes a 0-30 lead but he spoons an easy forehand way long. No matter, Ljubicic can’t handle a Murray lob – he hasn’t got the pace to chase it properly – and that brings up two set points. Murray converts on the second chance. First set: Murray *5-4 Ljubicic Play has ended on the other courts for the day, this is now the only show in town. An easy game for Murray, that break has geed him up. Now we see if Ljubicic can continue his calm start when he has to hold to save the set. First set: Murray 4-4* Ljubicic That’s not a massive surprise. Ljubicic has served more convincingly than Murray in this set and he also has a good record against the Scot. To prove my point he doubles faults on the first point. Murray has started to swear under his breath and for once it actually works as a very loose shot from Ljubicic brings up break point another double fault gifts the game to Murray. First set: Murray *3-4 Ljubicic I want to talk about Ljubicic head for a bit. He’s bald and wears a sweatband which crinkles his skin around the top of the skull. It looks like a crust on creme brulee and you want to put your fingers into it to see if they will break through to the brain underneath. Or you do after a long day. Anyway, while that was happening a shoddy game means Murray is broken to love . Anxious murmurs around Centre Court. First set: Murray 3-3* Ljubicic Apparently Murray has taken some of the pressure off himself by not reading the press anymore. Shame, he’ll miss out on my first world war tank analogy. He could have used it some time at a party or on Twitter. I believe it’s quite the rage among tennis players. What’s this? A double fault from Ljubicic? That makes it 0-30. Murray nearly takes the game to love but some lovely play at the net from Ljubicic saves the first break point. He then reels off a further two to make it deuce. Some more good work at the net eventually brings him a 10-minute or so game. First set: Murray *3-2 Ljubicic Now Murray has delivered some brilliant serves so far and a fair amount of filth. Ljubicic, on the other hand, has a lovely rhythm going. Murray does hit two aces to take the game but he still doesn’t look as steady as his opponent. First set: Murray 2-2* Ljubicic Ljubicic has some huge strokes but he lumbers around the baseline like a tank. A slow one. One of those first world war ones that was always getting stuck in the mud. Murray wins a challenge early in the game and Ljubicic shows a non-plussed face that would put a Parisian waiter to shame. hey! Two analogies in one game! I fear that may be my lot for the match. Anyway, game to Ljubicic with some ease. First set: Murray *2-1 Ljubicic Yet to hear a “Come on Tim” yet. People have heeded Murray’s warnings. Ljubicic shows that fizzing backhand of his smacking one cross court that Murray can do nothing about at 30-0. A decent forehand makes it 30-30 and Murray’s second double fault of the match brings up a break point. Murray pounces on a short ball though to take it to deuce and an 132mph ace seals the game. First set: Murray 1-1 Ljubicic* Let’s see what Ljubicic’s serve looks like tonight. His first one is dumped into the net but he’s got a good second serve too and makes Murray work before losing the point. He recovers though and a few booming ground strokes and an ace hand him the game. First set: Murray* 1-0 Ljubicic Murray starts off in style with two huge aces. Just to make things interesting he double faults at 40-0 but wraps up the opener the next point. 6.47pm: Murray and Ljubicic emerge from the depths of the stadium. McEnroe reckons Ljubicic has nothing to lose here – he’s 32 and a massive underdog. Technically he has got the match to lose but point taken. 6.38pm: And Azerenka takes the match. She does some decent pretend-my-finger-is-a-gun pointing and departs to cheers. 6.36pm: Looks like Azarenka v Hantuchova should be over fairly soon, so Murray will be on in the next 20 minutes or so. Barring some banana-skin themed accident on the way from the dressing room. 6.25pm: Four interesting things about your pantomime villain for this evening, Ivan Ljubicic : 1) He’s got a massive serve, but can’t return for toffee (or even Toffos) so I hope you like tie breaks. Actually, Andy Murray does like tie breaks, so he’ll be quite looking forward to this. 2) He has previously been the ATP Player Council president, so he’s a socialist rabble rouser and will no doubt take to court in overalls and a flat cap, and demand a go-slow from fellow players if the Robinson’s Barley isn’t chilled to the right temperature. 3) He was once world No3, but that was in 2006 and Kaiser Chiefs were cutting edge then. Actually, they weren’t. 4) His head-to-head with Murray stands at 3-3. Ljubicic won their last meeting. There’s only been one set that’s gone to tie-break in their six matches, so my first point now looks a little shaky. Andy Murray Wimbledon 2011 Wimbledon Tennis Tom Lutz guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 24, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.