Bad news to wake up to. Some what follows may explain why GGL turned out to be a tougher opponent than expected, though it still doesn't explain why Andy lost:

- GGL reached a career high of 23 early last year
- he reached R4 at Indian Wells in 2010
- he upset Rafa in the Bangkok semis in 2010, when Rafa was world no. 1 (and went on to win the title)
- he has beaten 8 top 10 players in his career
- I believe he may have had some injury problems in the last year, hence the rankings slide

-- Edited by steven on Sunday 11th of March 2012 03:36:40 PM

Garcia - Lopez is on fire. Andy is not.

Which he does to love.

It has to be said Garcia - Lopez played superbly. Andy had chances to retrieve things but Lopez just stepped it up even more.

4 - 6 2 - 6

I got up early to check the result and wish I hadn't bothered.

What on earth is the matter now? After Dubai and his upbeat pressers, I really thought he was not in any sort of slump this year. Or am I just over-reacting to one loss? But losing to somebody he has beaten twice handily before, and who is slipping down the rankings, seems even worse than Young and Bogomolov last year - at least they were both on a bit of a tear up the rankings.

GGL d Andy Murray 6'4, 6'2. Miserable match from Murray.

GGL came out of the blocks playing confidently and Andy didn't.  Muzzah wasted all 7 break point chances that came his way and struggled with his own service game.  In the 2nd set he was broken in game 1, had GGL at *0-40 in game 4 but failed to capitalise and from then on seemed to give up.  Andy was broken again in the 7th game and offered no resistance in the last game which GGL served out for the match.

After all the pre-match comments from Andy I hope he keeps a bit quieter ahead of Miami.  No idea (nor does he it seems) as to why he played so poorly.

- that trip to Dubai maybe screwing him up with time zone changes?

- no night time practice?  slower courts at I'Wells

- the memory of going out in R1 last year?

- not having plan B at the ready in case GGL played at his very best?

Quite a lot to be sorted out IMHO.

The one that sticks in my mind for 'awfulness' was US open 3rd round against Wawrinka (I think). His playing was bad but his behaviour was abysmal......... an embarrassment. A definite 'worry'. This time was different. Very little melodrama. This is what sticks out to me as something he appears to have been working on and is definitely an improvement.

He just wasn't really fired up, from the start really. Might have got away with it if his opponent hadn't been having such a 'good day'. He is often pretty second rate in early rounds......... it happens. He may have not been feeling too well, and it was very late, who knows.

Oh for goodness sake, he just had a bad day, and Garcia-Lopez had a good day. Why read anymore into it than that?

(Well, actually I know why, it's the usual human obsession with finding pattern and meaning in ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING ...

... total inability to accept randomness and chance, no wonder religion still has such a hold ... now where was I?)

Of course - anecdotally - Andy does seem to have more bad days than the top 3, and maybe that's why they have stayed ahead of him over the years.

If I was a betting man - and I can think of few things more pointless than betting - I think I might have some cash on Andy to win Miami ...