PARIS in springtime is an idyllic setting for a newlywed couple but Andy Murray said last night that having the new Mrs Murray in his company at a tournament for the first time wouldn't disrupt his usual routine.
The 28-year-old, who married his longtime girlfriend Kim Sears at Dunblane cathedral in late April, is still enjoying his honeymoon period, having not lost in the 11 matches he has played since, ahead of today's second round meeting with Joao Sousa at Roland Garros. While her arrival in the French capital on Friday night provided a welcome distraction, the World No 3 said that romantic candlelit dinners and excursions to art galleries are being kept to a minimum.
"Yeah that [Monday's first round victory against Facundo Arguello] would have been the first time she was watching live," said the 28-year-old. "It is nice having her here. When you are spending a lot of time in one place it feels a bit like Groundhog Day sometimes. It is good to see different faces some of the time because otherwise it can get a bit boring.
"She wasn't here at the beginning but she arrived on Friday evening and it is good," he added. "During the evening she can go out and do stuff but obviously you have a bunch of people, friends and people you work with, at all the major events. We went out to dinner together once, but normally we just go out to dinner with the team. We haven't really done a whole lot differently."
Murray has won all five of his previous meetings with Sousa, the Portuguese World No 44, but they have all come on hard courts and the Scot knows he is an opponent who deserves respect. "I have never played him on clay, but I have played him twice, at the Australian Open and then Dubai this year," said the Scot. "He likes the clay and had a good week last week. He lost in the final [of Geneva] to Thomaz Bellucci."
Kyle Edmund, meanwhile, has been forced to withdraw from the French Open due to a stomach injury. The 20-year-old from Yorkshire, who was due to face Nick Kyrgios of Australia in the second round on Thursday after being cheered beyond French qualifier Stephane Robert by Murray on Monday night, informed the tournament organisers that he would be unable to take part yesterday, and his name was promptly taken off the day's schedule.
His withdrawal means that Murray is sure to face Kyrgios, last year's Wimbledon quarter finalist, in the third round, should he progress beyond the challenge of Portugal's Joao Sousa on Philippe Chatrier tomorrow. The two men have met twice before, most recently at the Australian Open in January, with the Scot winning both in straight sets.
"Kyle felt something after his qualifying matches," said Leon Smith, the Great Britain Davis Cup captain. "And since the match against Robert it has got worse. He has muscle damage in his stomach. The advice we had was that if he went on court for even a set, it could damage it further and put him out for six, seven, eight weeks. He played four fantastic matches here, he will quite possibly be in the top 100 when the next rankings come out. Why risk ruining your summer?"
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