Andy Murray wants clearer guidelines after picking up two time violations during his French Open win over Portugal’s Joao Sousa.
Murray progressed 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 to a third round tie with Australia’s Nick Kyrgios but got on the wrong side of umpire Pascal Maria for exceeding the 20-second limit between shots.
“I like the time violation rule and it’s there for a reason,” he said.
“But as a player you have no idea how long you’re taking between the points.
“If my play is too slow, it’s unintentional. Things happen sometimes, for example you might not get the ball or the towel in time.
“For my second time violation I was up to the line in time but they were showing highlights on the big screen from the previous point and that’s why I didn’t serve.
“Things like that make it tougher for the players but there were points where I got told I was playing too slow and I tried to speed up.”
Murray was tested when Sousa put together consecutive breaks to win the second set but this match never looked like producing a shock result as the British number one extended his winning streak on clay to 12 matches.
Next up is rising star Kyrgios, whose progression was certainly serene after British opponent Kyle Edmund pulled out of their match with a stomach injury.
Kyrgios, 20, is seen as the future of Australian tennis but Murray has won both their previous encounters, including a straight sets win in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open earlier this year.
“Nick is a very talented guy and he likes the big stage,” he added.
“He likes the slams and beat Roger Federer a few weeks ago clay. He’s an exciting guy to watch and he can cause a lot of players trouble and he’s going to be around a long time.”
Image courtesy of Australian Open TV via YouTube, with thanks
