Dubai: Far from being disappointed, Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber had many reasons to smile despite his loss to World No. 1 Andy Murray in their singles quarter-finals at the Dubai Tennis Championships late on Thursday.
The duo were involved in one of the longest tie-breakers in modern-day tennis that ended with Murray saving seven match points to win 6-7, 7-6 (18), 6-1 in nearly three hours of intense action on court. The entertaining 20-18 tie-breaker that enabled the Briton to draw level with Kohlschreiber lasted over 31 minutes.
“Of course losing is always disappointing, but I’m not sad. I think I played great tennis, one of my best matches,” Kohlschreiber told media late on Thursday.
“Okay, the result is sad, but the way I played, the way I enjoyed myself on the court, there’s nothing to be sad about,” he added.
Meeting for the sixth time on the ATP World Tour, Murray held a 4-1 winning record against the German. But Kohlschreiber really didn’t care for the past. “I certainly think the first two sets were the best I have played against a top player,” the 33-year-old related.
“It was a really good match and I think we both played almost the best tennis we can play. Of course, you will always make mistakes and It was well-deserved for him as he’s a great fighter and he never gave up,” Kohlschreiber added.
The only time Murray lost to Kohlschreiber was way back in 2010 at the Monte Carlo Masters. The British player then triumphed on the remaining four occasions, including the 2014 French Open, followed by Indian Wells, Munich and Madrid Masters — all in 2015. And after Thursday’s loss, Kohlschreiber now owns a 0-10 record against World No. 1s overall.
But all this left him unfazed. “I think I have two ways of my game. One is, like, the fighting spirit, playing a lot of top-spin, running a lot. So far I have beaten some of the big guys, but obviously I lost more of them, so I tried to be more aggressive today, to show also that I worked in the pre-season on my forehand and brought in more firepower,” he noted.
“Of course, I could serve maybe a little bit better if I want to find something. But then, he’s also one of the best returners,” he shrugged.
Riding on a heartening performance like this, Kohlschreiber sees a bright season ahead of him. “I served well in the crucial moments and in that tie-breaker was big. He played his best tennis there. So of course I have to analyse that kind of match. But also, I think only in a good way on how I played the forehand, on how the footwork was and how the attitude was, and those are the good things,” Kohlschreiber added.
