NEW YORK – Andy Murray is getting some unusual questions at this year's U.S. Open — and they have nothing to do with his newfound status as Olympic gold medalist for Britain.
The queries have to do with the nude photos of Prince Harry that a British tabloid used.
After reaching the third round at the U.S. Open for the seventh year in a row, beating 118th-ranked Ivan Dodig of Croatia 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 on Wednesday night, Murray joked during his on-court interview about how he's dealing with extra attention.
"It has been a little bit different. I've had a few people with cameras waiting outside my hotel, asking very strange questions," Murray said with a smile. "Did I see the pictures of Prince Harry? I said, 'No comment.' And then they asked what I thought of the crown jewels. I didn't comment on that, either."
The Sun newspaper ran pictures that captured the third in line to the throne frolicking in the nude with an unidentified woman after what was alleged to have been a game of strip billiards in his Las Vegas hotel room.
Against Dodig, who never has made it past the second round at any Grand Slam tournament, the third-seeded Murray saved all three break points he faced.
Murray was the runner-up at Wimbledon this year, joining his coach, Ivan Lendl, as the only men in tennis history to lose their first four major finals. Murray also fell one win shy of a title at the U.S. Open in 2008, and the Australian Open at 2010 and 2011.
As the first man to get into the third round this year, Murray gets a chance to rest a bit. He isn't slated to play his next match until Saturday.
Asked whether he has plans to enjoy the Big Apple's nightlife, Murray said: "With the coach that I've got, I'm sure that I'll be on the practice court tomorrow, unfortunately."
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