Gulbis Tennis

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Gulbis Tennis: An allegation of gamesmanship has coloured Andy Murray’s preparations for Thursday’s second-round meeting with Ernests Gulbis on Wimbledon’s Centre Court, with the Briton disputing the Latvian’s recollection that he faked a medical problem when they last played on grass in London.Gulbis Tennis Murray has denied indulging in gamesmanship, which he described as “a form of cheating”.

Gulbis said that Murray took a medical time-out at last summer’s pre-Wimbledon tournament at Queen’s Club when there had been “nothing” wrong with him, insinuating that the Scot had simply done so to throw him off his rhythm. “He took a medical time-out. Actually, he didn’t have nothing, he just broke my rhythm, and I wasn’t an experienced enough player to deal with that at the time,” said Gulbis, a 20 year-old from Riga ranked 74 in the world.

Murray came from a set down to win that match at Queen’s, but withdrew from his next appearance, a quarter-final against American Andy Roddick, because of a thumb injury he had sustained during his victory over Gulbis.

In addition to the thumb injury, Murray damaged his neck and thigh on a day when he had been slipping and sliding around the damp grass in west London.

Murray was surprised and “very disappointed” when he was informed of what Gulbis had said, making it clear that he had never faked an injury.

“I did have to withdraw from the next round the following day, so that’s very disappointing to hear,” Murray said.

“I have never once abused any of the rules that certain players have abused to try to gain an upper hand in a match or toslow my opponent down or anything. Definitely when I played him at Queen’s that was not the case. I didn’t know there was a problem. I couldn’t grip the racket the following day.

“I have never indulged in gamesmanship. It’s not part of the sport. I guess it’s a form of cheating. It’s bending the rules to gain an advantage. It’s a bit like diving in football. It does go on and certain players do it and certain players don’t. I’m one of the guys who doesn’t do it.”

There have been a number of occasions this season when it has appeared as though Murray’s opponents have taken tactical time-outs when the Briton has been ahead in the match. Murray said that gamesmanship was common on the tour.

“There are so many things in matches where guys take toilet breaks or injury time-outs to delay you sometimes when you are trying to serve and take a little bit longer between the points than they are meant to,” Murray said. “It happens all the time.”

The vanilla-bland niceties between tennis players in the modern men’s game are such that you can sometimes yearn for the bitching, grouching, backbiting and general pantomime nastiness of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Ilie Nastase.

Still, there could now be a little edge to go with the forehands and backhands on Centre Court after the comments from Gulbis. And yet it would seem that the Latvian’s recollections of that match at Queen’s Club are confused, as he suggested that Murray took his medical time-out when they were tied at 5-5 in the third set. Murray won 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.

Apart from the match at Queen’s Club, Murray’s only other encounter against Gulbis was on a hard court in St Petersburg towards the end of last season, which he won in straight sets.

Gulbis, who has been rumoured to travel to tournaments in his father’s private jet, and who spends his time off watching the films of Woody Allen and Pedro Almodovar, was as high as No 38 in the rankings last season, but he has had an average year, and has fallen to 74 in the world.

Gulbis has been unable to build on his results last season, and yet his ability to welt a tennis ball remains.

Gulbis made the quarter-finals of last season’s clay-court French Open, and in the second round of last season’s Wimbledon he took a set off Rafael Nadal, the eventual champion.

The only other player to take a set or more off Nadal last summer was Roger Federer, who lost the final over five sets.

America’s Taylor Dent, who had been a possible and potentially dangerous third-round opponent for Murraylost in five sets to Spain’s Daniel Gimeno-Traver in the first round. If Murray beats Gulbis, he will play Gimeno-Traver or Serbian Victor Troicki.