Murray forgets about chances in US Open

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

Week 34 - ATP - New Haven (Andy)

VSandhi20 · Futures qualifying

if hes taken a wildcard, does that mean he will be seeded as well?

Salmon · Tennis legend

Yes.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Just in case anybody misses my post on the Baggy/Andy in Cincinnati thread, belt & braces time: according to the Beeb site, on which I'm monitoring the latest Premier League footie scores for developments in the Wigan vs Middlesbrough game (the latter being my home town), Minto's withdrawn from the Pilot Pen tournament in New Haven next week. No more details than that at the moment. This is serious...

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Stircrazy wrote:

Just in case anybody misses my post on the Baggy/Andy in Cincinnati thread, belt & braces time: according to the Beeb site, [...], Minto's withdrawn from the Pilot Pen tournament in New Haven next week. No more details than that at the moment.

I take that back:

Murray withdraws from New Haven

Andy Murray has pulled out of next week's Pilot Pen event in New Haven as he struggles to fully overcome a serious wrist injury.

The British number one returned after three months out last week but has lost two of three matches since. He suffered a 6-1 6-2 loss to Marcos Baghdatis in Cincinnati on Tuesday. A statement on Murray's website said: "He isn't ready to play. Instead, he'll keep working hard and hopes to be ready for the US Open."

The 20-year-old Scot has been unwilling to hit his forehand at full power since returning in Washington last week, but said after his defeat by Baghdatis: "I haven't had any bad reactions. It was feeling better, and I guess it's pretty much 100% now. It's a good sign."

VSandhi20 · Futures qualifying

I dont understand, if he said his wrist nearing full fitness, why pull out?

aria81 · Club Coach

This sucks. Maybe he is concerned about another bad defeat prior to the USO or something. I guess if he still doesn't feel like he can hit out on it he is as well getting the extra week rehab and hope for the best.

I still wish he would just take another month off instead of forcing himself to be fit for the USO when he clearly isn't ready - be it physically or mentally.

john · Top national player

What is wrong with these people who are constantly wishing that Andy would take time off and pull out of tournaments????? I'm a fan of Andy because of his tennis and that means I want to see him out on court. Every time he pulls out of a tournament I'm gutted yet some people seem to like it for some reason.

"I still wish he would just take another month off instead of forcing himself to be fit for the USO when he clearly isn't ready - be it physically or mentally."

I really find that sort of statement strange.

Personally, I wish he would get himself out there for the US Open and start to show us what he keeps telling us. That the wrist is 100% and that he can start hitting forehands properly.

He also told us that he's fitter than ever because he's been doing so much phys while he can't hit. So I find it hard to see how his movement has gone so badly downhill. Looked somewhat out of condition last week. :S

Drew · Aug 16, 2007

john wrote:

What is wrong with these people who are constantly wishing that Andy would take time off and pull out of tournaments????? I'm a fan of Andy because of his tennis and that means I want to see him out on court. Every time he pulls out of a tournament I'm gutted yet some people seem to like it for some reason.

"I still wish he would just take another month off instead of forcing himself to be fit for the USO when he clearly isn't ready - be it physically or mentally."

I really find that sort of statement strange.

Personally, I wish he would get himself out there for the US Open and start to show us what he keeps telling us. That the wrist is 100% and that he can start hitting forehands properly.

He also told us that he's fitter than ever because he's been doing so much phys while he can't hit. So I find it hard to see how his movement has gone so badly downhill. Looked somewhat out of condition last week. :S

John,

I wish that Andy would play every event he enters an event and that he would play really well everytime and win in style.

I also wish that if Andy is not fit enough to play in an event whether it be conditioning or fitness or injury that he would not play.

That is an entirely sensible point of view. He has a long and hopefully successful future ahead of him. No point in putting that in danger.

I just love following his matches, reading the reports, checking his stats, watching the video clips...just love it. But if my love of watching him perform is curtailed due to him not being fit etc and he has to take time off then sad as that may be then that will have to be the case.

I know that Andy was pushed into playing nole twice whilst clearly not fit and he got whipped. He learned from that and he will play im sure when he wants to.

So with all the wishing put aside Andy will play when he wants to and thats good enough for me.

Looking forward to him winning the USO....whatever year that may be.

Drew

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

Well said, Drew

helki · Futures qualifying

Murray forgets about chances in US Open

Richard Jago in Cincinnati
Thursday August 16, 2007
The Guardian

Andy Murray dropped a thunderbolt yesterday by admitting it may be another month before he plays well again and promptly withdrawing from next week's New Haven tournament.

After making such a promising start to the season - he reached two Masters Series semi-finals and a place in the top 10 and there was talk of his joining the elite group chasing Roger Federer - Murray can probably now kiss goodbye to making much impact on the US Open and he has only a slim chance of making the eight-man year-end Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai.

Although the Scot claims his troublesome wrist is now "100%", related problems - reduction in power on the forehand drive, reduced court coverage and impaired confidence - have made him acknowledge that "right now obviously it's not looking great". The hope was for two or three matches at New Haven to create enough momentum for a reasonably competitive US Open the week afterwards. The suspicion, therefore, is that Murray risked his straight-sets defeats by Fabio Fognini and Marcos Baghdatis because not to have done so after three months out would have damaged morale.

Asked whether a decline in his movement had affected the way he constructed points, he said: "That's just something that I've got to get used to for the next month or so - and then hopefully be able to start playing well again." A month takes him uncomfortably close to the Davis Cup tie against Croatia at Wimbledon on September 21-23, leaving only the European indoor circuit during which to restore some optimism before the season's end.

The British Davis Cup captain, John Lloyd, took the news philosophically. "I once had an elbow injury which, like Andy, made the forehand the worst shot to hit," he said. "I had to stop for six months because, even though the doctor said it was OK, it was psychologically difficult for me. It takes time to clear that hurdle. But Andy is such a great player and technically so good that, when he feels OK, he will play well again quite quickly. There's time for him to be ready for the Davis Cup but, if not - hey, these things happen."

Murray's plight drew sympathy from the French player Richard Gasquet who was out for four months with an injured elbow and missed the 2005 year-end finals but recently reached the top 10. "For Murray it's hard," he said. "My first matches after injury were like his. I couldn't play. Mentally it was difficult, physically impossible. You have to fight every day when you practise and play matches."

Did Murray imagine that in his current state it was difficult for his brother Jamie and his coach, Brad Gilbert, and others to watch him? "I guess so," he said. "After the start to the year I had, to be in this sort of position is not the easiest thing."

*Perhaps this article throws some light on how Andy is thinking at the moment and what he wants to happen in the future.

-- Edited by helki at 20:57, 2007-08-16

john · Top national player

Drew wrote:

john wrote:

What is wrong with these people who are constantly wishing that Andy would take time off and pull out of tournaments????? I'm a fan of Andy because of his tennis and that means I want to see him out on court. Every time he pulls out of a tournament I'm gutted yet some people seem to like it for some reason.

"I still wish he would just take another month off instead of forcing himself to be fit for the USO when he clearly isn't ready - be it physically or mentally."

I really find that sort of statement strange.

Personally, I wish he would get himself out there for the US Open and start to show us what he keeps telling us. That the wrist is 100% and that he can start hitting forehands properly.

He also told us that he's fitter than ever because he's been doing so much phys while he can't hit. So I find it hard to see how his movement has gone so badly downhill. Looked somewhat out of condition last week. :S

John,

I wish that Andy would play every event he enters an event and that he would play really well everytime and win in style.

I also wish that if Andy is not fit enough to play in an event whether it be conditioning or fitness or injury that he would not play.

That is an entirely sensible point of view. He has a long and hopefully successful future ahead of him. No point in putting that in danger.

I just love following his matches, reading the reports, checking his stats, watching the video clips...just love it. But if my love of watching him perform is curtailed due to him not being fit etc and he has to take time off then sad as that may be then that will have to be the case.

I know that Andy was pushed into playing nole twice whilst clearly not fit and he got whipped. He learned from that and he will play im sure when he wants to.

So with all the wishing put aside Andy will play when he wants to and thats good enough for me.

Looking forward to him winning the USO....whatever year that may be.

Drew

I do understand your point Drew, however frustrating it is, but my main gripe is with the people who almost seem to celebrate when he withdraws from a tournament. I just find it, um, strange, to say the least.

aria81 · Club Coach

john wrote:

Drew wrote:

john wrote:

What is wrong with these people who are constantly wishing that Andy would take time off and pull out of tournaments????? I'm a fan of Andy because of his tennis and that means I want to see him out on court. Every time he pulls out of a tournament I'm gutted yet some people seem to like it for some reason.

"I still wish he would just take another month off instead of forcing himself to be fit for the USO when he clearly isn't ready - be it physically or mentally."

I really find that sort of statement strange.

Personally, I wish he would get himself out there for the US Open and start to show us what he keeps telling us. That the wrist is 100% and that he can start hitting forehands properly.

He also told us that he's fitter than ever because he's been doing so much phys while he can't hit. So I find it hard to see how his movement has gone so badly downhill. Looked somewhat out of condition last week. :S

John,

I wish that Andy would play every event he enters an event and that he would play really well everytime and win in style.

I also wish that if Andy is not fit enough to play in an event whether it be conditioning or fitness or injury that he would not play.

That is an entirely sensible point of view. He has a long and hopefully successful future ahead of him. No point in putting that in danger.

I just love following his matches, reading the reports, checking his stats, watching the video clips...just love it. But if my love of watching him perform is curtailed due to him not being fit etc and he has to take time off then sad as that may be then that will have to be the case.

I know that Andy was pushed into playing nole twice whilst clearly not fit and he got whipped. He learned from that and he will play im sure when he wants to.

So with all the wishing put aside Andy will play when he wants to and thats good enough for me.

Looking forward to him winning the USO....whatever year that may be.

Drew

I do understand your point Drew, however frustrating it is, but my main gripe is with the people who almost seem to celebrate when he withdraws from a tournament. I just find it, um, strange, to say the least.

I don't celebrate when Andy doesn't play - why would I? What I want is for him to be 100% fit and to not risk further injury by playing on when he's not ready and can't be competitive. Is that really that wrong? Is it better to wish he went out every week and took his beatings, and the ridiculous over-criticism they bring and risk the long term damage to his confidence and career than to prefer if he took an extra few weeks off, got more confidence in his injury and then went out and played the way we know he's capable of playing?

I'm not going to apologise for taking the longterm view on this. If Andy were 100% fit then great, let him play - but we can all see from watching him that he's not. You were the one who was making the harshest criticism of him over the last two weeks despite the fact that he clearly wasn't fit - is it really that wrong to want to avoid that sort of over-reaction over what counts as nothing more than training matches? He has enough pressure, and enough demands on him without him forcing himself back before he's ready and getting more demands and pressure put on him because he's not back playing at 100%. There were guys on his official site actually writing his career off on the basis of the match against Baggy.

It's not about celebrating him not playing, it's about looking at the bigger picture and not expecting immediate results.

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

And well said Aria. To be honest, I'm not expecting very much from him for the rest of this year.

But hey, next year if he can come out fighting fit, and defend his points from the start of this year - then from March onwards he should shoot up the rankings as he has nothing to defend!

I was disappointed that he pulled out of New Haven - but only because it meant he was still not right. I most certainly do not want to watch him play if he can only play like he did against Baggy. It was excruciatingly painful to watch.