Week 20 - ATP Masters 1000 - Rome, Italy - Clay

steven · Tennis legend

RE: Week 20 - ATP Masters 1000 - Rome, Italy - Clay

TMH · Futures qualifying

It was a sterling effort but as usual Murray just edged out at the death. I don't think he's ever beaten Nadal, Djokovic or Federer when it's gone deep in the deciding set.

Bitterly disappointing after going up a break, really poor game at *4-2. Lot of encouragement to take going into the French though. Just needs to maintain this bloody standard against the rest of his tour, which seems to be his biggest problem.

steven · Tennis legend

It's not to be - Rafa breaks and serves it out. Best Murray match this year though, easily.

QF: (7) Andy Murray WR 8 lost to (1) Rafael Nadal (ESP) WR 1 by 1-6 6-3 7-5

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Brilliant tennis :)

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

Disappointing but at the same time very encouraging. I not only didn't expect a win, I didn't expect such a close match. Now if it had been on a hard court. . .

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Andy looked completely out of gas towards the end. Is he fit enough to play 5 sets ?

Jan · Hall of fame

What a brilliant match. Sad Andy couldn't win, but so much encouragement from seeing him play like that!

gattolibero · Social player

What a match...best of this tournment so far and probably one of the best match here in Rome ever! Murray was simply fabulous, he deserved victory... this tournament has been colonized by Nadal for years, we wanted Andy to go on!

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

Fantastic tennis match, thoroughly enjoyable right up to the last two points

Seriously though, that was the Andy I've been missing - he looked like he wanted to win and frankly that's been the missing element in my eyes. If he can keep that feeling against the "lesser" opponents then he should go far in the french.

DF · Tennis legend

Nearly.......perhaps next time........

indiana · Tennis legend

Hard luck, Andy, but very encouraging.

Hey, back into the top 10 in the ATP race ( 9th if Raonic loses his SF to Djokovic ) and just another little clay court event to get out the way, then GRASS, then NORTH AMERICAN HARD. I still maintain that Andy will end the year at least in the top 6.

PS: TMH, check 2008 for a couple of 7-5 third set wins against Fed in the Madrid Masters and the Shanghai WTF. And his US Open 5 set title win against Djokovic maybe didn't in the end go 'deep' into that final 5th set, but still ! Yes, there are quite a few more the other way, but Rafa, Fed and Novak are err quite good players who are overall up in more straightforward wins too.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Just hope he can build on this great performance, bottled it a little at 4-2 in the decider, but still his best effort post Wimby, and arguably his best ever display on clay. Nadal starting to look a tad vulnerable for once in his life on clay.

Spectator · All-time great

Haven't seen him play like that in a year. Very, very nice to watch. And we know the kind of belief that he can take from this kind of close defeat to one of his fellow Big Four ....

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

Well Andy did a darn sight better than Dimitrov! I think the "old guns" may be safe from the young ones for a while yet, though Raonic did give Djokovic a bit of a fight.

Spectator · All-time great

It's good to see the new generation coming through - but the Big Four are still the Big Four! Can't get over how much fun it has been to watch bits of Mr Murray's play in Rome. It's been a long year waiting to see him back at his best ... seeing him close to his best therefore is both a pleasure and a surprise. I'd forgotten how quick and how deft he could be.