posted May 16, 2008

There are obvious problems with Murrays game at present and areas he can improve.

That said its no shame to lose to the world's best clay courter who is in a different league as a player and particularly on that surface.

I believe AM will be back in the top 10 and remember that the world #4 has never won a slam and has only just earned his second Masters.

I dont think that Murrays game will ever make him #1 , but that doesnt mean he cant be a successful pro.

I must admit I would like to see more aggression in his play and a more positive attitude - nonetheless he is a very good player.

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posted May 16, 2008

That's interesting what you said about teenage number ones. I just had a look and Murray did reach number 10 a couple of months before his 20th birthday and drifted back out of the top ten soon after. Gasquet came very close but only got to number 12 in his teens and broke into the top ten the following year. Federer of course didn't break into the top ten as a teen whereas Nadal was world number 2.

Has there ever been a teenage world number 1 on the men's side? Borg, Becker, Nadal, Sampras, McEnroe, Connors and Hewitt all appear to have come close but not quite managed it. Anyone I'm not thinking of?

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posted May 16, 2008

Murray appears to be paying the price for dispensing with Brad's services. Now I can understand that iof the relationship had broken down that something had to give but he seems to think that pals and an approach that may have worked in the juniors will work now.

As McEnroe famously observed in his book "Serious" one of his his first encounters with an old pro on the adult circuit ended in defeat and the advice something along the lines of "this is the grown up circuit kid and you'd better learn that fast".

Obviously AM still has a lot of growing up to do.

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posted May 16, 2008

The key is that he can and, I believe, WILL mature. There's an odd, arrogant tendancy among critics to believe that anyone who fails to win a Grand Slam is somehow a failure, which is obviously not true. Murray, a former and future top ten player with five titles at the age of 20 (yes, I know he's 21 now), is already a success story. How big a success he becomes is another matter, though.

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posted May 16, 2008

I agree with the tenor of the articles about the direction of Murray's career which seems to be stagnating somewhat at the moment. As has been pointed out at one time his fortunes seemed to mirror those of Djokovic but now these two are poles apart with the latter set to be the next number one when the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) Federer vacates his throne.

Murray needs to listen to the advice of Federer and Djokovic both of whom have commented on the lack of aggression in his game. Essentially the Scot's style of play has remained the same since he joined the ATP tour and it revolves around soaking up pressure from his opponent with a mixture of slices and top spin interspersed with very occasional risk-taking winners. Federer has expressed surprise that he has not changed this style and if he is to reach the next level he does need to be more prepared to take the initiative in rallies. I am sure he is capable of doing so as he demonstrated in the Doha final against Wawrinka at the beginning of the year when he won the final set 6-2 through a more aggressive outlook in the final set.

Regarding coaching, I think the jury is still out on his decision to split with Gilbert. Murray might be more comfortable off the court with his current entourage but I doubt very much whether they have the same analytical and coaching skills as Agassi's former coach.

It will be interesting to see how much Murray's ranking has improved by the end of the year. The only top players he hasn't beaten are Djokovic and Nadal so he is clearly capable of pushing for a top five ranking in a year's time. However, he needs to show he can step it up to their level by adopting a more assertive style on court. He can do this by putting his opponent on the back foot more often through going for his shots more.

However, his temperament seems to hold him back and until he can stop beating himself up on court he is going to struggle to join the elite at the top of the game.

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posted May 16, 2008

There is time for Andy Murray. He has to start improving within the next year or doubt's over his ability will come into play.

The good news is there is no doubt that he will be in the top 10 by Wimbledon, as he has no points to defend. I just hope that he can use a more favourable draw as a result of his Ranking and go deep into the second week of our home Grand Slam.

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posted May 17, 2008

murray needs to sack his new coach or whatever he is called. he seems a bit useless, murray hasnt really improved any part of his game recently.

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posted May 17, 2008

You'd think that Murray had not won 2 titles this year.

All you armchair critics (practically most of the thread!) Need to get a life. Murray's improvement is absolutely clear. It'll be interesting to see how all of you change your opinions after the clay court season.

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