Rome Masters R2 - Murray v Wawrinka

steven · Tennis legend

RE: Rome Masters R2 - Murray v Wawrinka

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

I didn't see all of the match, just most of the second set, but I didn't see all that much moonballing. What was obvious to me was that Stan could hit the ball much harder.

john · Top national player

I think most of the mooballing is done on the big points. On break points for and against and on big points in the tiebreak, you rarely see him attacking and hitting big shots. Hopefully this is merely a sign of a slight lack of confidence and a few big wins will see him get over it

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Wawrinka just beat JCF in straight sets. Watching him against Andy, he was playing at a fairly high standard and it was not surprising that he had too much for Murray. Right now Wawrinka could well be a top 10 clay player and Murray's lack of a decent forehand makes it very difficult to beat competent clay court players.

I think the big mistake Andy made was not following up his performance against Nadal at the Aus Open with more displays of a similar nature. By going back to his passive tennis, he has left himself in a position where he finds it difficult to playing attacking tennis when needed. His double-handed backhand is a great shot but it would be a lot more reliable if he used it in an aggressive fashion match after match.

Ratty · County player

I found myself wanting Wawrinka to win.

Let's weigh up the evidence.

Murray.
Pro - He's British.
Anti - He has the most obnoxious on-court presence of any top player. He seems to be incapable of losing a point without whinging, whining, muttering and swearing. (The BBC have got a serious problem looming for their Wimbledon coverage, because I think they can get fined for broadcasting swearing before 9PM - remember how they got into hot water when Rusedski let fly a few years ago). He's a scruffy so-&-so, and his body language is dreadful.

Wawrinka.
Anti - He's not British.
Pro - Everything else. Impeccable behaviour, and he seems like a thoroughly nice guy. Totally professional on court presence.

I'm going with the nice guys. Safin managed to get away with similar kind of behaviour without alienating the fans, because he came across as passionate rather than obnoxious.