Reem's French Open Diary: Murray on practicing with rivals

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  • Murray opened up about his training regime.

    Security has understandably been tightened at Roland Garros this year following the tragic events that took place in Paris last November and by tightened I mean the place has become a fortress.

    Anyone going to the tennis here must be prepared to spend a significant amount of time getting through security, receive numerous pat downs from numerous individuals, get sent from gate to gate multiple times before eventually making it into the stadium.

    Considering how lax security had been here in the past – remember the court invader during Roger Federer’s match last year and the protester who lit a flare next to Rafael Nadal during the 2013 final? – all these new measures are definitely a welcome addition.

    “It’s definitely interesting. I mean, that’s something I think a lot of the players wanted, as well, is a little bit more security. Hopefully. We’ll see. You know, we just want to be here. We want to do what we do. We just want to play tennis. We want to enjoy ourselves and just live our lives. That’s all we want to do,” said Serena Williams.

    Just a word of advice, if you’re planning on going to Roland Garros this fortnight, arrive early to navigate security.

    MURRAY HAPPY TO PRACTICE WITH RIVALS

    Meanwhile, despite the terrible weather, players have been able to squeeze in some precious practice time. Andy Murray’s practice partners this past week have included Rafael Nadal, David Goffin and Feliciano Lopez.

    Murray practices quite often with both Novak Djokovic and Nadal, despite them being two of his biggest rivals. Djokovic hits frequently with Stan Wawrinka.

    Asked how he felt about practicing with Nadal and Djokovic, Murray joked: “Well, they normally beat me so maybe they’re a bit happier to practice with me.

    He added: “But, no, I mean, sometimes I haven’t practiced with either of them for a while. But, yeah, I mean, I have hit with them over the years a lot. Especially sort of before the big events or at the beginning of the year, I think it’s – you don’t actually learn loads about their game when you’re practicing with them, but it’s great practice. Why not get the best practice possible before big events?”

    Nadal does not seem to practice much with Djokovic or Roger Federer but he refused to acknowledge that fact when quizzed about it.

    “No. I don’t know. I don’t have a problem to practice with nobody. I am always open to practice with any player, no?” said the Spanish world No5.

    “I don’t know. I didn’t prepare the practice (with Andy Murray in Paris). That’s the real thing, no? With (my coach) Toni and his coach I think in Rome or Madrid they fixed the practice for today, and that’s it. For me, I really don’t care. I can practice without any problem with Novak or with Roger. No problem.”

    Really, Rafa?

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