Andy Murray's opponent demands pickle juice in strange US Open outburst
Andy Murray secured a routine victory in the first round of the US Open, but his opponent's behaviour was anything other than ordinary.
The three-time Grand Slam champion beat Corentin Moutet in straight sets (6-2, 7-5, 6-3) to progress to the second round. It was a fantastic performance by Murray who looked as good as he has for years, but one moment in the third set became the main talking point.
Moutet is no stranger to some antics on the court, and was furious when the umpire denied him 'pickle juice'. The Frenchman appeared to be suffering from cramps and called the physio to the court as he sat at his bench.
However, the umpire told Moutet that 'pickle juice' would not be available to him and the player began complaining while Murray watched on and waited to serve. The crowd then grew restless as he fell during the very next game, and once again called for his 'pickle juice'.
It looked like a nasty fall and Murray and the umpire ran straight over to assist Moutet. But the Frenchman was able to get up and continue without any medical attention which led to boos from the US Open crowd.
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Moutet landed on his wrist during the fall, a sensitive area for him after having surgery back in January before further treatment last month. But thankfully for the 24-year-old it was his right wrist that was troubled, but the left wrist took the impact on Tuesday.
His wrist appeared to be bothering him in the first set, as Murray eased into an early lead. But Moutet hit back in the second, although he missed three set-point opportunities to level the match.
Moutet went down after being denied pickle juice (2023 Getty Images)He crumbled after missing his chance and lost his composure, and fans weren't appreciative of his conduct on the court. Moutet also received a violation in the second set for smashing his racket, as frustration poured out of the Frenchman.
But Murray spoke highly of his opponent and even enjoyed the "entertainment" he provided for the crowd. "It was amazing, a brilliant atmosphere. [Moutet] is one of the most skillful players on the tour," Murray said after the win.
"He has so many ways to disrupt you. He always causes a little bit of chaos. I hope it was entertaining for everyone. I am glad to get through in straight sets because the second set was very tight. It was a long one but the way that we play it was probably always going to be that.
Murray was met with a standing ovation as he won (2023 Getty Images)"It was a lot shorter than most of [my] matches this year! I'm happy to get it done in under three hours. I had to slowly build my serving up this month but I was happy with how I served today. I can't wait to move on to the next one.
"I'm at my highest ranking (No. 37) since I had the metal hip put in. I'm happy with that. It's not been an easy journey. Obviously, I want to be ranked higher but this is the best I've played consistently since 2017. I'm happy to keep going and progressing and am hoping to push my ranking up.".
The Scotsman discovered a small abdominal tear when arriving in North America after Wimbledon, and after missing the Canadian Open he decided not to risk playing at Cincinnati. Before the US Open began Murray said that he'd made the right decision, and he looked back to his old self at times during the first-round win.
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