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Murray prepares to "Hit Back" - but why?

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Alan Partridge and Andy Murray

One of the brilliant moments in the second Alan Partridge series was when the self-obsessed Radio Norwich DJ published his autobiography. It was called “Bouncing Back” and sales were disappointing. Partridge had to flog it in service stations before eventually pulping thousands of unsold copies at the recycling yard.

The title of Andy Murray’s autobiography is “Hitting Back” and whether or not it heads straight to the BP bargain bucket totally depends upon the public appetite for pages of protest from a 21-year-old who, by his own admission, is only just starting out.

It’s scheduled for release at the start of June which may be just in time for Wimbledon but, unfortunately, not in time to include the story behind his first Grand Slam title or even his first Masters Series triumph.

The provocative title “Hitting Back” suggests a response to the various stories, rumours and criticism of the past three years but do people really want to spend £15 to discover how a millionaire has been misunderstood? That was Ashley Cole’s mistake, in one of last year’s least-read sporting tomes, and look how universally loved he is.

The wild inconsistency to Murray’s tennis so far in 2008 should be more of a concern than “hitting back” in a premature autobiography.

His aim for the year was to consolidate inside the top ten, yet poor results in the biggest tournaments have delayed his return to the elite of the sport.

Murray, who has just turned 21, still has the majority of his career ahead of him and already has five titles. He has beaten Roger Federer twice and seems to know how to defeat other established top ten players such as Andy Roddick and Nicolay Davydenko.

Titles in Doha and Marseilles have been highlights from 2008, and winning in those tennis outposts should certainly not be disregarded, but his goal of top ten “consolidation” will only be achieved with a run of results at more significant events, with the bigger ranking point pool they provide.

The ATP rankings are based on a rolling 12 month return of points from mandatory tournaments (Grand Slams and Masters Series) plus five extra events. Murray does well in those “next best” tournaments - he’s got three titles at that level in the past 12 months - but he’s desperately short on points from the big ones.

All he needs is one good run to restore confidence. Look at Stanislas Wawrinka recently in Rome; his run to the final elevated him from outside the top 20 into the top 10. This week in Hamburg, that “new entry” could be someone else and, with very little to defend between now and the end of the year, there's plenty of scope for Murray progress up the list.

Many of his defeats this year have been to hugely gifted individuals, such as Novak Djokovic, Mario Ancic, Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Wawrinka, but some matches he really should have won (notably Tsonga in Australia and Ancic in Miami). He needs to rediscover the mantra of his former coach Brad Gilbert and “win ugly” a bit more.

Gilbert, as we’re mentioning him, sits at home in California twiddling his thumbs and counting the thousands the LTA continue to pay him until his contract expires. (He was sacked by Murray at the end of last year and a decent chapter on the split would make interesting reading - will we get it?)

When he watches Murray matches on US TV, the flaws he tried to rectify remain evident; an inconsistent first serve, the frequently short second serve and the lust for a drop shot too many. But what bugs him the most is the attitude of his former charge.

When Murray turned 18 and bounded onto the scene in 2005, all off-court edginess and on-court exuberance, frustration was inevitable. It was a direct consequence of lofty ambition and the admirable search for tennis perfection. He would shout at his coaches, wave his arms, throw his towel, rip at his shirt. Teenage angst on a tennis court.

Problem is he's a man now - a fully grown, hairy, flat-owning man - and all of that can still happen.

In three years, despite encouragement from Gilbert and others to “channel his aggression”, he has frequently failed to control his anger and frustration and the evidence (reference Davydenko in Dubai, Ancic in Miami) suggests it does affect his ability to win some close matches.

There’s also an issue - self-confessed in Barcelona recently after losing to Ancic in the first round - of not getting “fired up” for matches. He followed this by remarking, to the Independent on Sunday, that he would give up tennis if he couldn’t get back in the top 10, rather than compete amongst the also-rans.

Forging a successful career is going to be a long, hard slog and his God-given talent provides a privileged opportunity - a greater opportunity than most are lucky to have.

If he plays another 50 Grand Slams and wins one, we will be proud. Then, not now, will be the time for the autobiography.

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comment by tahirr (U7706259)

posted May 19, 2008

I have got a news:
"He will spend his career explaining,'What is not wrong with him'

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comment by masterCaledonia (U12009814)

posted May 19, 2008

Murray has all the necessary tennis skills to become a top ten player with the potential to become number one in the futher. However he needs to show disciplne, display decency in speech / attitude while on court.
He is doing himself an injustice, by allowing such talents as he is endowed with to go to waste. He needs proper guidance to get the best of his talents fully developed. What a waste of " Great Potential"

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comment by FairPlayMotty (U4790105)

posted May 19, 2008

Andy Murray will be a top ten player by the end of Roland Garros. He isn't a posh, privately educated, Southern English typical British tennis player. Maybe that's why he has done so well so far and is so unpopular with so many English people. He swears on court, as did many greats. Get over it!

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comment by noginforme (U10845661)

posted May 20, 2008

''He needs proper guidance to get the best of his talents fully developed. What a waste of " Great Potential"

He was getting proper guidance paid for by the LTA and then he fired him!!!!

In his place he has put what is it 3,4 or 5 psycophants who tell him what he wants to hear like ''Yes Andy you are definitely a top 5 player'' - ''oh you were unlucky with the draw'' - ''oh another injury'' - ''oh you were so right to get rid of that nasty Mr Gilbert before you had actually won a GS or a major masters series event'' - ''The whole world IS against you and you are right and they are all wrong''

Now we have the spectacle of a 21 year old trying to justify himself in an autobiography when the other players on the tour around the same age namely Nadal and Djokovic are involved in a dogfight for the number 2 ranking and are seriously starting to close in on Federers number one slot.

Whats that I hear from a ''team Murray'' member ''But Andy you are such a good player you should be in the top 5 and you will be and even if you are not we will keep telling you that really you should be and it is all somebody else's fault that you are not''

Have said before and will say again he needs to get rid of a load of ''team murray'' members and get an established proven coach on board but rumour is that there are not too many willing to take on the job. Mr ''win ugly'' Gilbert commands a fair deal of respect with his coaching track record and his dismissal would rightly make people wary

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comment by HarryHarmski (U1657878)

posted May 20, 2008

Amusing amusing stuff, many arm chair experts here.. bit of sobering thought though, Murray is where he is because of his mother, he is talented but its difficult to know just how talented he is. His surly attitude is because he is a british tennis player, he has no manners but that's all that sets him apart from Henman in terms of background - anyone thinking he's a boy from the streets is very mistaken - his family have been part of the british tennis establishment for many many years - he's all Brit tennis born and bred !!!

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comment by AJ fae Fife (U3822700)

posted May 20, 2008

Scotland's No1 should give this Overends a right slagging, the next time the pooofy twit wants an interview! What does a plonker like him know about playing tennis at the top level?

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comment by Cabscove (U3902520)

posted May 20, 2008

1. Money for nothing - so of all the posters on here that have both positive and negative things to say about AM who is going to tell me that they would not accept the type of cash being offered, for virtually nothing???? (especially given that he now has a team the size of the Man U squad in attendance)

2. It appears it is a complete waste of time actualy compiling it , as everyone already seems to know exactly what it will contain????

3. To all the idiots who constantly come on here and rant about how AM will never make it - do not bother following his career, although I do not know him personally I am sure that he also is totally uninterested in what you are achieving in your life.

4. Why is Brad Gilbert doing nothing for LTA, I read at the beginning that he was employed by the LTA and AM was ony a part of that remit - Do the LTA think that nobody else is worth bothering with?

Finally to the "Experts" on here how well do we know AM off court as it appears that we assume that his demeanour on court is similar to that off, as I said I do not know him personally and only have the interviews etc that he conducts to base an opinion, and during those he does not come across as a sulky teenager - But I bow to your combined greater knowledge of the individual

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comment by cakesquad (U12024476)

posted May 20, 2008

didn't federer once have an attitude/temper early in his career?

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comment by MWICHINSON (U12019932)

posted May 21, 2008

andy has all the makings of a top five player in the world which i belive he,ll hit very soon.what i can,t seem to understand is why britain is not behind him as much as theyre supposed to-heck hes only turned 21!i think part of the problem he gets so much 'flack' stems from the fact that he has not moved into the top five yet djokovic,who he was rising up with as the new young superstars of mens tennis,has.granted andy needs to 'reign' in his on-court emotions and channel them into his immensly gifted play but what he needs in my opinion is SUPPORT from his own fellow brits not critisizm everytime hes out in a major tournament.Yes djokovic is hitting the pinnacles of success in his game-it couldve been the other way round but isnt-give AM a chance i believe hes giong to go one better than Henman and even win Wimbeldon! and other gram slams WITH YOUR SUPPORT!

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comment by matti76 (U1862867)

posted May 22, 2008

I don't understand this idea that he's where he is because of his mother - sport isn't politics or pop music. You can't use your relationships to further yourself or sell the unsellable, with the possibly exception of a sport riddled with corruption like boxing.

Murray has got where he has by winning most of his matches, often against players in the Top 40 of the world.

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