Talk wasn't cheap so much as it was entertaining during Andy Murray's four-set victory over Tomas Berdych at the Australian Open on Thursday.
Even from Murray's fiancée.
Despite Andy Murray's attempts at downplaying his former hitting partner now working for his rival during Thursday's match, the battle between Berdych and Murray began with an intriguing and contentious first set and continued throughout the match.
Trailing 5-3 in the first set, Murray broke back on a Berdych forehand into the net. Murray shouted after the break, and reports indicated that he was directing his theatrics toward Berdych's box, where Dani Vallverdu sat.
Longtime Andy Murray hitting partner leaves over disagreement about coach Amelie Mauresmo?
Vallverdu was Murray's longtime hitting partner who parted ways with Murray at the end of last season, reportedly over their opposing views of new Murray coach Amelie Mauresmo.
Murray's shouts drew a glare from Berdych. That drew a reaction from Murray's fiancée, Kim Sears, who was caught mouthing something after the players returned to the bench.
According to The Guardian, "Those at courtside thought that (Sears') words appeared to be "have that, you flash f---." Berdych still won the first set 7-6 (6), and as the two crossed the net in front of the umpire, he appeared to say something that drew Murray's ire. "I don't know exactly what he said," Murray told ESPN after the match, "but he said something. ... I wasn't really into that."
Berdych denied he said anything derogatory toward Murray.
"I say to myself, 'Well done, Tomas.' That's it," Berdych told reporters, according to CNN. "I think I'm allowed to do that when I win a set.
"I pumped myself up ... and that's it, then sit on the chair. I'm not really looking left or right what's going on. I just keep focusing myself and that's it."
ESPN added that Berdych added, "What, I have to be worried about every word that I'm going to say?"
Murray, however, explained that Berdych waited until they were right next to each other to say something.
"He said something literally as we were walking right past each other change of ends," Murray said. "The thing is because there's cameras and microphones everywhere players don't say stuff to the opponents."
Tennis.com reported that the turning point of the match came in the third set when Berdych, trailing 3-2 in the set but up 40-love on his serve, double-faulted twice and then hit an error that allowed Murray get back in the point an eventually break him, en route to a 2-1 lead in sets.
But Murray himself said that the post-first-set exchange fired him up after he was disappointed to have lost it.
As for Sears, comments, according to The Guardian, Murray said after the match, "In the heat of the moment you can say stuff that you regret."
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