Andy Murray's preparations for his second-round US Open match against Fernando Verdasco took an unexpected turn when his 10-month-old daughter Edie gave him a bloodied nose during play. The 31-year-old shared a picture of the injury on Instagram, showing blood running from his nose, with the caption: 'When playing with your 10 month old daughter gets a bit too physical.'
Murray, a father of two, is making his return to Grand Slam tennis after nearly 14 months away due to hip surgery. He won his first-round match against Australia's James Duckworth in four sets on Monday at Flushing Meadows. The Scot detailed his gruelling rehabilitation programme, which can last up to seven hours a day, as he aims to return to the top of the game.
Murray acknowledged that he expects to feel pain in his hip for the rest of his career. He wrote in his BBC column: 'When I'm going into the match I'm trying to prepare myself mentally that I'm not going to feel great physically after the match, or that my hip will feel painful.' To manage his workload, he has shortened practice sessions on non-match days during Grand Slams.
The former world number one is also working on adopting a more offensive style to protect his hip, moving away from his trademark defensive game. He said: 'There are things that I want to focus on longer-term that are going to be beneficial for my game, like a game style that I would like to be playing.'
Murray now faces a tough test against 31st seed Fernando Verdasco, a veteran Spaniard who has reached at least the quarter-finals at three of the four Slams. Murray has won 13 of their 14 previous meetings, but he acknowledged the challenge: 'Fernando is a great shot-maker and someone that, when he's on his game, is really tough to beat. You can't allow him to dictate too much.'
