Why Andy Murray said his opponent looked ‘a bit stupid’ at his first Wimbledon tournament 20 years ago

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Andy Murray made his debut at Wimbledon in 2005, making a name for himself right away.

As Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski reached the latter stages of their careers, British tennis found its next star in Murray.

Making his Wimbledon debut, Murray defeated Switzerland’s George Bastl in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

Next up for Murray was a tough test against the 14th seed Radek Stepanek, who had grown a reputation for his ‘gamesmanship’ during matches.

Securing the win over Stepanek, Murray explained why the Czech star looked ‘a bit stupid’ after their Wimbledon match.

Andy Murray said Radek Stepanek looked ‘a bit stupid’ trying to put him off at Wimbledon

During his post-match press conference, Murray revealed why he was ‘disappointed’ with Stepanek, recalling what happened during their second-round clash.

“Well, I was very happy because I was a little bit disappointed with him at the end, 5-3, because he was trying to put me off,” said Murray.

“He was like staring me in my face when I missed the ball, then he started doing the thing with the net. He was just trying to put me off.

“When I got net cord at 5-4, I was going to do it back to him. I was really happy that I’d won because he’d done that. Because if I’d lost, then his plan would have worked. But unfortunately for him it didn’t.”

Beating Stepanek 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, Murray claimed his opponent ‘looked a bit stupid’.

“He was just trying to put me off,” he said.

“Everybody told me before the match that he’s going to try a bit of gamesmanship, and he ends up looking a bit stupid because he lost.”

Murray was then asked whether Stepanek congratulated him at the net after the match.

“No (smiling). I wasn’t even listening to him at the end. I don’t like him,” he said.

“I just said bad luck to him and didn’t really listen to what he was saying.”

Over the next 11 years, Murray played eight more matches against Stepanek, winning their head-to-head 7-2.

Stepanek did, however, bounce back from his defeat to Murray, securing his career-best Grand Slam result one year later, qualifying for the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

Murray, on the other hand, wasn’t done in 2005, as he advanced to take on a former finalist in the third round.

How did Andy Murray fare against David Nalbandian in the third round of Wimbledon in 2005?

Making his Centre Court debut, Murray took on 2002 finalist David Nalbandian for a place in the last 16.

Starting brilliantly, Murray took a two-set lead over the Argentine 7-6, 6-1, moving him within touching distance of the fourth round.

Unfortunately for Murray, it was in the third set where he began to struggle physically, as Nalbandian fought back to win in five sets 6-7, 1-6, 6-0, 6-4, 6-1.

During his post-match press conference, Murray gave his verdict on his fitness issues.

“The more five-set matches you play, physically you’re going to get better,” he said.

“But maybe I just need to work a bit harder on court, play longer hours, or eat differently.

“I don’t know. It’s difficult to say. But physically, I don’t think I’m in bad shape; I just got tired because I’d never played a five-set match before.”

Nalbandian was full of praise for Murray, but agreed that the Brit needs to become more physically fit.

“He plays very confidently on grass courts. So, all the time was tough. He has a good forehand, a good backhand, good slice. He’s fast. He can see really good how the games are going. So it was very tough,” he said.

“I think he needs to work more. I think he lost this match due to the physical problems, you know. I think he has to keep going. But he’s too young, so he has enough time to work.”

Nalbandian went on to reach the quarterfinals in 2005, while Murray returned in 2006 to qualify for the fourth round, seven years before his first Wimbledon title in 2013.

Murray retired in 2024 as a two-time Wimbledon champion, writing his name into British tennis history.