Andy plays the qualifier 'from' Kazakhstan in what should be a straightforward final.
I put from in quotation marks as, lets face it, he's Russian!
In his defenCe, see this paragraph from Barry Flatman's column in The Sunday Times today:
Like Murray, Golubev is 21 and right-handed, but there any real similarities end. He was born in the small city of Volzhskij in the south of Russia near Volgograd and just 50 miles from the Kazakhstani border. While Golubev is untested at final level, Murray is becoming something of a veteran. He is today bidding for the eighth title of his young career in what will be his 13th final.
* Seems to me, given the relative strength in depth in the Russian men's game, that he had every right to change his allegiance.
Hey! I was born less than 50 miles from the Scottish Border. Does that mean I can claim to be Scottish when the Scots on other boards (the ones here are sensible) say the English shouldn't support him?
Way to go Muzza. What a fortnight. Can he win in Paris next week? That would just be mint. He's done better this year than i thought he would at the beginning. Proved all doubters wrong. Totally deserved.
Way to go Muzza. What a fortnight. Can he win in Paris next week? That would just be mint. He's done better this year than i thought he would at the beginning. Proved all doubters wrong. Totally deserved.
He's done better this year than I think any of us thought. His second half of the year has simply been sensational.
Hey! I was born less than 50 miles from the Scottish Border. Does that mean I can claim to be Scottish when the Scots on other boards (the ones here are sensible) say the English shouldn't support him?
Likewise, I think (not sure how far Middlesbrough is from the Scottish border!). These things are all relative, however: consider the size of the constituent "parts" of the UK vis-à-vis that of "Russia" & the 11 time zones it embraces!
Congrats to him on the title, and it looks like he played well throughout the week, and he keeps the ranking points to put the pressure on Djokovic at the start of the season.
Golubev in the final is really all you can ask for as he's the kind of player who's made a fluke run, but back-to-back titles is a great achievement for him, and hopefully he can make another good run next week in Paris
I read on am.com that Andy is throwing healthy eating out of the window to celebrate his title.
He is taking his team to McDonalds for a burger!
Last of the big spenders!
Lol - I remember reading an article in which Andy said that Brad used to take him to expensive restaurants all the time and then expect him to pay for the meal. Perhaps that experience had a lasting effect on Andy and now he's gone to the opposite extreme
"Andy says: "tourney just sent champagne and cake to my room. I'll have a go at the cake, leave the drink to the guys. great touch from them!"
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? No, not that the Russian mafia sent up a poisoned cake so that the Undertaker can win the Paris Masters. I'm thinking he's been reading defending Paris Champion David Nalbandian's bestseller, "The Diet I won Madrid and Paris back to back with"
P.S. I realise the real reason he put it that way is because he doesn't drink.
-- Edited by steven at 01:33, 2008-10-27
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GB on a shirt, Davis Cup still gleaming, 79 years of hurt, never stopped us dreaming ... 29/11/2015 that dream came true!
It's an interesting article, his conclusion (which I agree with) is that Muzza is playing better than anyone else at the moment and is more likely to go deep in Paris than Rafa but that his year as a whole can't be compared with the Spaniard's.
He;'s also the first journo I've seen who has picked up on the fact that Andy is the first player ever to win back to back outdoor/indoor Masters that I mentioned at the start of the week.
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GB on a shirt, Davis Cup still gleaming, 79 years of hurt, never stopped us dreaming ... 29/11/2015 that dream came true!