Andy Murray Is Unfazed By Loud-Ass Rain

Tennis is typically a sport of silent courts, but rain battered the newly retractable roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium today, drumming up a dull roar over a second-round U.S. Open match between Marcel Granollers and Andy Murray.

Even John McEnroe, a man known for making loud noises on a tennis court, described this as the loudest court he’d ever encountered. For a long stretch of the match it was impossible to even hear the noise of the racquet striking the ball—a useful data point, if you’re hoping to read the spin and timing of your opponent’s shot. But none of this fazed Murray as he scampered cross-court for this outrageous get, daintily placing Granollers’s drop volley in the back corner at a full sprint. In the remainder of the match, he daintily placed the unseeded Spaniard in the trash can, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.

Until last week, the second-seeded Murray was cruising through a career-best 22-match win streak, which included his second Wimbledon win and an Olympic gold medal triumph over a rejuvenated Juan Martin del Potro. Despite a fit of first-serve funk, he’s striking the ball with his usual brisk, boring punchiness, dutifully grinding out points from the baseline.

Meanwhile, outside of Arthur Ashe, other players are enjoying themselves on roofless practice courts. As always, Gael Monfils doing anything on a court is fun to watch.

[ESPN]