That partnership was always temporary: Mr Fleming had made it very clear that he would "wait for" Mr Hutchins, assuming (as happily appears to be the case) that Mr Hutchins returned after his treatment. And there's really no shame in losing in the 2nd round of a Masters. Was it as strong a partnership as ones that either has had with other people? Probably not. But as "marriages of convenience" go, given that they're in the top 20 pairings, one can't complain.
Hope that Mr Marray finds a really good permanent partner for 2014. He should! More than one year on from his surprise championship, and having lost most of his championship points, he's proved he's still a top-30 player. I always remember his saying that Federer had said to him after Wimbledon, not (I'm sure) meaning it unkindly, that he'd be seeing him around for the next year. Hoped then that it would be longer than the year ... and it has been. Now to add a few more points to make up for those WTF and Paris ones ...
And maybe a telephone call to Freddie?
-- Edited by Spectator on Thursday 10th of October 2013 06:56:39 AM