Week 20 - ATP Masters - Hamburg

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

RE: Week 20 - ATP Masters - Hamburg

Sheddie · administrator

Stircrazy wrote:
* I don't suppose Andy cares, but he appears to be doing his level best to alienate his "public" at the moment!

How ?? OK he's had a disappointing run of results since Dubai with the possible exception of Monte Carlo but he's had some tough draws, lost a few tight matches and as a result confidence is down a bit....plus he's on by far his worst surface.......it can happen to any player, Tim and Greg had their runs of losses but their popularity still remained high

He's had a lot of stick about his press conferences but when I've heard him after matches in the masters series, he comes across a lot more interesting than a lot of the other top players, Nadal in particular

his on-court demeanour isn't everyone's cup of tea but its the nature of the beast and people need to realise it's not going to change, whatever they say......I like it as you can see he really wants it and is fighting out there, giving 100% compared to some of the more "relaxed" players eg: Boggo at times who seem to just cruise to defeat without showing much externally which can be a bit frustrating....I've found myself wanting Boggo and indeed Tim at times in the past, to smash a few rackets

fact of the matter is.....Andy is one of the most fan-dedicated players out there....look at the time he spends signing autographs before and after matches and the amount of personal effort he's put into his official site....the only top player I can think of to do that

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

I think Sheddie's got a point. Andy's "problem" is that he doesn't have the kind of personality that will ever be universally liked, so he's going to get bad press, which in turn influences how people feel about him.

Ever one to sit on the fence, I think it's probably a combination of all the factors, good and bad, that people have been mentioning here

Salmon · Tennis legend

I agree with Sheddie's views, too.

murrayfan99 · Lower Club Player

I'll fourth that! I watched Boggo and South losing in the mixed at Wimbledon - I found it really odd that when Boggo missed easy volleys he just grinned like an idiot. When Jamie and JJ played in the following match - the (very) few bad shots JJ hit - she looked furious with herself. A lot of top players react badly to hitting bad shots.

I've been disappointed with Andy's recent performances - and I think he needs to work on his on-court behaviour - but I've got a high tolerance - he's all we've got - and personally I don't have to convince myself he's morally superior to the rest in order to support him. I hope the wider public criticism doesnt feed whatever negativity Andy has.

Again I think the gloom has been overdone - he was close to beating Stan -who has gone on to reach the final. We should remind ourselves that other very talented youngsters (e.g. Gasquet) have had dodgy spells.

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

Just to add my 2 cents - I also agree with the above. I am no less Andy's fan than before, though I am perhaps thinking that he may take longer to achieve the position I would want him to achieve, than I did a year ago. He is not 21 until next week, still very young. Forget Nadal and Djokovic - such early dominance is unusual, not the norm; most players don't reach their best until between 22 and 24.

I think a lot of the problem is that people were expecting too much too soon and it is simply not fair to blame Andy because he is not reaching the over-expectations. I never was one of the ones who expected him to get to #1 and dominate the world! I do think he will sooner or later get into the top ten and stay around there for a few years (injury permitting!) and I will be quite happy with that. I think he will need a fair bit of luck to win a slam, but it has happened for others and it could happen for him.

I don't much like his on-court demeanour but again I think it has improved from the first two years and will improve more as he gets older.

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

Roddick has withdrawn, will be replaced by a Lucky Loser.

steven · Tennis legend

As far as Andy's treatment of fans is concerned, I think the truth of the matter is that his treatment of his 'close' fans, e.g. those who are members of his website, the kids who go to watch him play and want his autograph, etc, is second to none, but he's not very careful about what the rest of the UK / the world think about him.

Given how little control he has over the latter (i.e. if he wins Wimby they'lll love him, if he doesn't they'll make him into a running joke ... plus some sections of the press will stitch him up anyway, whatever happens), can you really blame him?

Armchair · County player

If Andy was winning consistently, at least against lower ranked players, I think you'd find he'd be popular with British fans and press regardless of his 'personality' on court.

Having said that, I loathe this British notion that it's perfectly OK to lose as long as you remember to shake the umpires hand and sign a couple of autographs.

Pressure is an issue for any athlete at the top of their sport. And coping with that pressure just as important as perfecting your drop shot wink

Ratty · County player

I'm sure that's right, but when your on court behaviour is so poor that everyone in the crowd (apart from your mother, LOL) wants your opponent to beat you, then it seems logical to try and improve it.

Looking at the top 100, I can't see that there is anyone who is remotely as obnoxious on-court as Murray in there. Some have a certain reputation (eg Nalbandian, Davydenko), but that stays off-court. And the likes of Stepanek and Hewitt are certainly in-your-face, but they stay positive all the time.

Ask the question - what positives come out of Murray's behaviour? The answer must surely be "none". So why not sort it out?

(I'm not talking about off court - where Murray seems perfectly pleasant and normal).

Ratty · County player

The BBC will probably have to put his Wimbledon matches on a short time delay so they can bleep out the swearing.

This is what they were told they should have done on that Live Aid thing last year, where I think the judgment was that it was "predictable" that some of the artistes would swear.

john · Top national player

Hey, what's the big panic? Andy's having his best ever clay court season! wink

He's up to 14 again and still has 2 slams without any points to defend coming up.

I know he can be a bit of a prick on the court lol and I'm usually one who gives him some stick but I think the reason I'm always willing to forgive is that I'm a pretty much the same when I'm playing sports myself and it does usually result in a bout of swearing or umpire abuse lol so I can relate to that.

Some people have that in their personality whilst others have the ability to stay more reserved. I think for people who are naturally calmer it can be difficult to understand what it's like for someone who is naturally more hot headed. As has been said, Andy's not someone who's ever going to be "universally liked" and I genuinely don't think he cares at all. Doesn't come across to me as someone desperate to be popular.

So basically, I can understand why some people don't like him. Ratty, your opinion isn't a rare one and I understand and respect it. I'm not even "disagreeing" with you as such. I have no problem whatsoever with people who dislike Andy if they have the intelligence to state their reasons why and remain reasonable about it, all I DO have a problem with is the muppets you see about the internet and I'm sure you all encounter them in your daily lives is the idiots who just say things like, "He's a ****" or "He's ****", or "**** off Murray, you're a pathetic overhyped muppet. If you weren't British we'd have never heard of you". Of course, most if not all of these people probably don't understand tennis or comprehend that what Andy has ALREADY achieved is more than the vast majority of players do in their career but people like that are too stupid to be reasoned with lol. For many of them it actually extends to actual "hatred", which is very worrying and I feel sorry for these people that a young Scottish tennis player can bring out such despicable feelings inside them.

Anyway, turned into a bit of a ramble but basically, I don't have a problem with him, if you do, then don't support him, as someone like Ratty has already decided not to. Quite simple really.