Friday, November 11, 2011

Murray the Best Player Ever(to Not Win a Major)

Andy Murray is an absolutely terrific tennis player.  His feel and movement around the court are second to none.  He is a topnotch world-class athlete who happens to play tennis.  He has beaten everyone, and he is a top challenger at all the Masters Series events, winning 8 titles at the Masters 1000 level.  The giant question is "why hasn't Andy won a major?"  If he can win against the best players, and also beat them back-to-back then is he just choking in the 3 major finals that he has lost?  I think the answer to this question is absolutely no.  Murray is very good under pressure, and he is not losing his major title opportunities due to nerves.  It is his style of play that wears him out in the best of 5 set Grand Slam format.  Andy came onto the tennis scene with his ability to stay in a rally all day with anyone, including Rafa.  Unfortunately this counter-punching style can take away your stamina if you don't blend it with enough ball-striking offense.  Andy has been too conservative in his approach to winning majors by not blowing out some opponents in the earlier rounds, and by not attacking enough in his play.  The best of 3 set format at the Masters Series events allows Murray to play his usual style, but the Slams do not!  It is not nerves, talent or fitness that Andy is lacking, but his nature of counter-punching and extending rallies.  Watch him grow his offense and ball-striking abilities and the majors will come, even with Federer, Djokovich and Nadal in his era . 

2 comments:

  1. I agree with your analysis of Murray's game but I wonder if his failure to win majors may have something to do with the other top players failure to put a great deal of emphasis on these Masters events.

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  2. great article! I was going to say it was due to varience. However, after reading this, it makes perfect sense his counterpunch style exhausts him. Federer and Nadal win early rounds 6-0,6-1,6-2 alot, etc. Murray simply does not do this enough in rounds 1-4.

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