Andy on clay

Dave · Improver

Andy on clay

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

I have been wondering the same thing. I wouldn't like to hazard a guess, but it will be very interesting to see how he does. Tim took years before he was able to handle it, Greg never could. In a few months time we may see just how Andy will make out as an all-round player - we know he can play on grass, hard, and carpet!

Michael · Pro player

I feel he will be very effective on Clay. In San Jose the cours were very slow and players tried to cut through Murray but couldn't espically Roddick and Hewitt and those will be the sort of conditions on clay which Murray likes and he feels himself he plays best on clay and as he used to practice there and train there for years we shouldn;t be quick to say he can't play there until we see him.

The only problem with Clay though is it will be easier for opponents to play his slices and dropshots as they won't stay as low they do on hardcourts and on grass.

As you both have said it will be interesting to see.

aria81 · Club Coach

I'll be honest - I always thought in the Wawrinka match that it was nerves that got to him more than the surface and that was pretty much confirmed for me when he went out and played almost the exact same way against Chela. I think the fact that it was a 'must win' match for Britain in the DC got to him, the same way the pre tournament hype in Australia got to him and he froze up.

Saying that - I doubt clay is his best surface but I think he'll do alright on it. His movement is good, he doesn't make a lot of unforced errors and his returning game should be even better on it. Admittedly his serve will be difficult to hold on it, but I think he would fancy his chances of breaking his opponents more often than they would break him. What he really needs is a kind draw, there are so many clay court specialists running about that only really show up for three months of the year that he'll need to be careful. I don't know what the chances are, but if he could get himself seeded for Roland Garros that would make things infinitely easier.

hi777 · Social player

I think he'll do better on clay than he will on grass/carpet. I think the davis cup was nerves, he should of still won it though, he just played the big points poorly.

San Jose was nearly as slow as clay, it suits his game since it lets him return even better and he makes very few errors.

Sheddie · administrator

Andy still has a lot to prove on clay, but he has the game to be as good on it as he is on outdoor hard. From watching a number of Andy's matches on clay he definately appears to get in a rut on the surface and overuses the drop shot to the point where his opponents almost expect it. Against Wawrinka it was happening every time a rally lasted more than 4 shots. Clay will provide a big test of Andy's fitness - he's really done some fantastic work in the off-season to get to the shape he's in now but on clay rallies will last so much longer and they'll be more physically exhausting - also on the European clay-court circuit it will get really hot ! If Andy's going to do well on grass and at the French Open, I reckon he needs to keep the tournaments he plays on clay to a minimum.

In Andy's favour on clay: [1] His 2nd serve won't be as easy to attack, unlike on all other courts, on clay the topspin will kick the 2nd serve up to his opponents head height pushing him back behind the baseline.

[2] The loopy topspin forehand he uses to mix things up will be even more effective.

[3] Winning on clay is all about variety - Andy has bags of that in his game, the subtle changes of pace and spin which give his game extra dimensions will give him an advantage over more limited clay-court specialists who don't have that in their repetoire

[4] Andy's speed about the court will enable him to wear down opponents Nadal-style. Heavy hitters like Roddick etc will have the same problems hitting through him due to his great anticipation and speed and consistency.

[5] Andy's mid-court backhand slices have caused him quite a few problems in tournaments. It's true that on clay they won't keep as low but they will skid and bite off the court - remember the success Henman had with the backhand slice at the 2004 French Open.

[6] Cerebral power: On clay you have to often outthink an opponent to win, Andy does a lot of that in matches which will help.

[7] He likes playing on the surface !!! So many British players in the past have stated that they hate the surface but saying that does not help their cause as they'll go into the matches with a negative mindset which will put them at a disadvantage from the start

RJA · Hall of fame

It will be interesting to see how Andy does in clay. He has a tremendous game for the surface and likes playing on it so hopefully we will see him do pretty well.

Drew · Mar 1, 2006

Dave wrote:

With the clay court season starting next month, I wondered what people think Murray's prospects are on clay? Personally I think it is probably his weakess surface despite him being brought up on it. He had an average record in futures and challengers on it and was soundly beaten by Wawrinka in the Davis cup last year on it. Also fitness will be a huge factor on clay with so many long rallies and this may be a problem for Andy. Though he is a much improved player now from when he was on the futures last year so hopefully he will be able to fair better on the red stuff.

Andys Surface Stats : Listed in win / loss - total % of his matches played.

Clay : 6/10 18%
Hard : 22/9 35% (outdoor)
Hard : 14/5 21% (indoor)
Carpet : 2/2 4%
Grass : 10/9 21%

Hope this helps.

More info from : http://tennis.matchstat.com/

Drew

Sheddie · administrator

We can't really take into account the stats on clay because at that time he was playing futures and challenger qualies. He wasn't getting on well with Alvarez at that time and didn't feel that the game style Alvarez was encouraging him to play, was right for him.

The transition he made between French Open juniors and Queens was quite stunning, before Queens he'd been making so many errors from the baseline but come Queens and Wimbledon that all vanished !

Andy's first ever match in an ATP tournament was in the qualies for ATP Valencia when he lost to one of the "bad guys" of the tour, Federico Luzzi. Luzzi once got banned for punching an opponent in the face and he was also suspended for screaming abuse at the fans watching his match/