Weeks 3 & 4 - Australian Open (men's)

RJA · Hall of fame

RE: Weeks 3 & 4 - Australian Open (men's)

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

Gutted. Not that he lost, I was kind of expecting Djokovic to come through, but at the way he lost. He just seemed, very suddenly, to run completely out of gas. Looks as though he hasn't completely got his old stamina back after all.

MiloTheCat · Lower Club Player

Thought at one point - Andy was trying to run the legs off Novak - but once again Novak lasted the pace better

If only John Lloyd would stop prattling on about negative body language - the difference was in the tennis - e.g. the huge difference in 2nd serve points won (usually the key to a Murray match against another top player)

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

I didn't think there was much negative body language at all, except for that one melt-down. Probably that was because he realised he hadn't enough strength left.

RJA · Hall of fame

It's more about mental stamina than physical stamina. Andy just couldn't maintain his level when he got on top in the match. At 2-0 up in the third the match was there for the taking but yet again he let Nole back in with a really poor game. It was the same two years, he won the first set and was totally dominant at the start of the second set but didn't put it away and lost in 4.

indiana · Tennis legend

The very good from this fortnight - Andy's tennis is back to a really good level.

The bad ( and very disappointingly ) - he has been beaten in the end by physical and / or mental stamina issues rather than his tennis. In the condition Andy had supposedly got himself back into, no way should he have fallen away like that.

It's been an unexpectedly good start to the season, but we arrived at a position where I did not agree that it was a 'free shot' at another Slam title, but a real opportunity to win his third.

Things to be very pleased about, things to ponder ...

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

Agree it's been an excellent start to the year for Mr Murray. Late last summer many of us were pondering just how much further his level of tennis was going to drop and certainly not envisaging him starting 2015 with a GS final ......

Regarding the match, to me he seemed to get distracted by Djoko limping around part way through the third set causing a loss of focus and rhythm on his part from which he just never recovered (coupled of course with Nole making a dramatic recovery and playing like a man possessed!)

BeefyDeedz · Pro player

Murray is on a torrid run against his fellow top members and probably can't remember what it's like to win against the very best. The most promising aspect of this tournament is that Murray looks good again, and if he can get to the late stages of ATP 500's and Masters, he'll have more shots against the top players. String a few wins together and who knows how much things will change mentally if he reaches another Slam final. Slams are the pinnacle but tournaments like Rotterdam need to be his bread and butter; there's no better feeling, I suspect, than lifting a title. I still maintain that this final was a free one, in that it was unexpected and not in the realistic plan of ascendancy of most pundits and fans, rather than there not being any similar pain or joy when he won or lost, nor on the likelihood of either.

goldfish · Futures qualifying

BeefyDeedz wrote:
"Murray is on a torrid run against his fellow top members and probably can't remember what it's like to win against the very best."

Bet he remembers what it feels like to beat Nadal (OK he wasn't on form but he still won easily)

EddietheEagle · County player

Is Djokovic doping? That's what I'd like to know.

He certainly knows how to play rope-a-dope as Andy Murray himself will presumably confirm.

A couple of observations. I thought Murray, generally did well throughout the tournament. He played for the most part above the level most expected of him. The Berdych match stuck out but where I felt he went wrong was immediately after that match. He should have kept his mouth shut and just said ',Tough match; Tomas played well'. Instead what we got was some rather triumphalist comments and the ensuing media storm around, Mauresmo, feminism, and the antics of his fiancee cannot have helped. The latter's distraction of a T-shirt is confirmation to me that Murray's eye was not wholly on the tennis and I thought it was unprofessional. Sorry if that disappoints. The emotional level needs to remain consistent from match to match. Nadal is a master at this approach. What I saw today, crudely, was a tank.

RJA · Hall of fame

EddietheEagle wrote:
A couple of observations. I thought Murray, generally did well throughout the tournament. He played for the most part above the level most expected of him. The Berdych match stuck out but where I felt he went wrong was immediately after that match. He should have kept his mouth shut and just said ',Tough match; Tomas played well'. Instead what we got was some rather triumphalist comments and the ensuing media storm around, Mauresmo, feminism, and the antics of his fiancee cannot have helped. The latter's distraction of a T-shirt is confirmation to me that Murray's eye was not wholly on the tennis and I thought it was unprofessional. Sorry if that disappoints. The emotional level needs to remain consistent from match to match. Nadal is a master at this approach. What I saw today, crudely, was a tank.

I agree with most of that

1. If he thinks Mauresmo is the right coach for him then great but if part of his rationale is to prove a point then not so great and if that is the case let the results speak for themselves.

2. Kim was incredibly silly to wear that T-shirt. I understand that she got caught up in the emotion of the occasion but yelling profanities at an opponent of Andy is not something to be proud of. I would have hoped that she would have the good sense to apologise to Tomas for having done so.

3. I wouldn't call it a tank but it was a mental collapse that is simply unacceptable for someone who aims to win the very biggest prizes. It is inconceivable that Federer, Djokovic or Nadal would have fallen at apart in the way that Andy did.

vohor · Grand Slam Champion

Exciting stuff for 3 hours: at which point in truth Andy could (should?) have been lifting the trophy but his multiple letting of Nole off the hook meant that the match was still level when he ran out of gas. Can't help feeling that Andy didn't truly believe he could beat the 4-time champion on "his" court.

Superb that Andy's back in the top 4 now though; hopefully he'll stay there now for the rest of the year and, who knows, maybe get to top 2 in time for Wimby :)

EddietheEagle · County player

I remember the great but utterly serve-reliant, Pete Sampras once spoke of his bad days on serve and how he coped when his serve wasn't on. Andy needs to drop by his place for a quiet chat. The fear that sets in when Andy's second serve starts sitting up mid-court is almost palpable.

korriban · Challenger level

RJA wrote:
EddietheEagle wrote:
A couple of observations. I thought Murray, generally did well throughout the tournament. He played for the most part above the level most expected of him. The Berdych match stuck out but where I felt he went wrong was immediately after that match. He should have kept his mouth shut and just said ',Tough match; Tomas played well'. Instead what we got was some rather triumphalist comments and the ensuing media storm around, Mauresmo, feminism, and the antics of his fiancee cannot have helped. The latter's distraction of a T-shirt is confirmation to me that Murray's eye was not wholly on the tennis and I thought it was unprofessional. Sorry if that disappoints. The emotional level needs to remain consistent from match to match. Nadal is a master at this approach. What I saw today, crudely, was a tank.
I agree with most of that
1. If he thinks Mauresmo is the right coach for him then great but if part of his rationale is to prove a point then not so great and if that is the case let the results speak for themselves.
2. Kim was incredibly silly to wear that T-shirt. I understand that she got caught up in the emotion of the occasion but yelling profanities at an opponent of Andy is not something to be proud of. I would have hoped that she would have the good sense to apologise to Tomas for having done so.
3. I wouldn't call it a tank but it was a mental collapse that is simply unacceptable for someone who aims to win the very biggest prizes. It is inconceivable that Federer, Djokovic or Nadal would have fallen at apart in the way that Andy did.

I watched Andy at the O2 being put to the sword by Nishikori. This was before he played even worse against Federer. That was just 2 months ago. I'd prefer to say that for the first time in 16 months, Andy is playing at or very close to his very best, and given what I witnessed in London the improvements are near to miraculous. There's no question he lost the plot from 2-0 in set 3, and that the very predictable "injuries" from Novak which always appear when he's in trouble (and disappear when he receovers) were a distraction......but then Andy could be accused of having phantom injuries when he loses a point or 2.

My cup half full mode has kicked in, since I feared we might never see Andy return to his previous levels from 2012/2013......a mental lapse can be dealt with far more easily than a physical weakness, especially with 2 Grand Slams under ones belt. And as for point 3, Nadal lost 2 and 0 to berdych before actually starting to play......which indicates that even the invincibles can have 2 sets of madness.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Not a bad week or two. Back in the top 4 can't be too bad, at least he should avoid Novak, Nadal and Fed until the semis. Great tennis in the semi and for a couple if sets in the final, excellent progress on his performance at the O2. The camp seem settled and the general trend is upward, what is there not to like?