Murray v De Voest

RJA · Hall of fame

RE: Murray v De Voest

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

Drew wrote:

he would rather be No 10 in the world and No 20 in the UK

The day British tennis is at such a standard that we have over two people for each of the top 10 ranking spots is the day I'll....

Niall · Pro player

Thanks for the comentery Peter.

One question. How tired does Andy look?

Last week was tough physically and emotionally and now he has had to dig very deep two days in a row, has he got much left for Soderling?

James_F1 · Improver

yes, you're right- 20 British players in the top 10 would be quite a feat

The LTA had really better get their act together- it's disgraceful they haven't achieved this already!

Sheddie · administrator

Drew wrote:

Peter wrote:
If you have any questions on the match, ask them now ! Murray's serve percentage was actually pretty good in the end - 70% is pretty world class. It really helped in that final set !

1. Is Rik a typical serve / volleyer ?
2. Andy's serve was very good..was he mixing it up ?
3. Do you think he could go all the way ?

[1] Rik's got a really massive serve, he can hit it with a lot of topspin as well and so on the USA cement, it really kicks up. He follows it in to the net most times and punches away an easy volley or the kick serve may force his opponent way behind the baseline and so he can play a drop volley. He's in the same style as his campatriot Wesley Moodie - when on song he's very hard to break. His low volleys and half volleys can be a bit shaky against pacy returns.

[2] Andy's serve was pretty good. There were times when he appeared not to be hitting it at full pace but with adrenaline flowing in the 3rd set it appeared to be at it's best. It was typical Andy serving, topspin second serves and topspin and flat first serves - he mixed up the direction of his serving well in the 3rd set as De Voest was starting to pick it. He also started hitting the 2nd serve a bit deeper which paid off and is obviously something he's been practising as he didn't hit many doubles.

[3] Andy will need to play a lot better against Soderling - he was too erratic from the baseline - flashes of brilliance mixed in with silly shots. As with most of his game today he improved immensely in set 3. If he beats Soderling, he will be overwhelming fav to reach the final where it will be interesting to see what Roddick has to throw at his this time round

Sheddie · administrator

James_F1 wrote:

yes, you're right- 20 British players in the top 10 would be quite a feat
The LTA had really better get their act together- it's disgraceful they haven't achieved this already!

By the way, welcome to the site James

Niall · Pro player

Suplimentary question. How did Andy's serve hold up to the pressure towards the end of the third set?

In the Hewitt and Roddick matches his serving got a bit ropey at the end of the match.

Sheddie · administrator

Niall wrote:

Thanks for the comentery Peter.
One question. How tired does Andy look?
Last week was tough physically and emotionally and now he has had to dig very deep two days in a row, has he got much left for Soderling?

Cheers Niall. De voest had a very bad start but then Andy appeared to just be cruising along and lost concentration but recovered it just in time for the tiebreak.

He does look tired, you can see it in some of his sloppy shots which are due to poor footwork.

However, it is immense credit to Andy's amazing fighting spirit and will to win and the fitness work which was put in, in the off-season that he is able to last these long physically and emotionally tiring matches without any problems and outgrind class players. He looks much stronger than he did last year.

Sheddie · administrator

Niall wrote:

Suplimentary question. How did Andy's serve hold up to the pressure towards the end of the third set?
In the Hewitt and Roddick matches his serving got a bit ropey at the end of the match.

In this match the serving remained at a very high level even right at the end. That was crucial to cracking De Voest's serve - that battle was going to be won in the mind as well as on the court. If Andy could hold relatively easily and De Voest couldn't make many inroads on the Murray serve than serving last would start to make him nervous and he would miss easy volleys, stay back on the 1st serves etc. Big serves at the right times really helped Andy in the 3rd set

Niall · Pro player

Thanks for your answers, much appretiated.

It just hit me that this could be a historic match for British tennis. I heard on the radio that Tim Henman has been British number one continuously since 1998. Now that we think Andy has taken that away from him he could hold on to the position for just as long again!!

Sheddie · administrator

Maybe even longer, it all depends on how Boggo, Baker, Fleming, Slabinsky and others fare over the next couple of years !!

It looks like Murray will be the face of British tennis spanning 3 decades !!

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

Well, thanks everybody. I'm worn out just reading that, I think I would have been a hospital case if I had been following it in real time!

I made myself read the thread from where I left, not peeking at the score, and just about had 3 heart attacks just from reading about it!

I have to agree with those who have said that Soderling might be a step too far. If Andy is looking as tired as you say, and Soderling is on top form, he might be too much this time around. The other matches between them have been very, very close.

Still - another quarter-final!!

James_F1 · Improver

Peter wrote:

By the way, welcome to the site James

Thanks Peter- this is an amazing site, and I really enjoy following the commentary and discussion- I'm sure I'll be joining you quite frequently from now on!

Sheddie · administrator

Thanks James, it's great to have another addition to our British tennis fan community here

Sheddie · administrator

Madeline wrote:

Well, thanks everybody. I'm worn out just reading that, I think I would have been a hospital case if I had been following it in real time!
I made myself read the thread from where I left, not peeking at the score, and just about had 3 heart attacks just from reading about it!
I have to agree with those who have said that Soderling might be a step too far. If Andy is looking as tired as you say, and Soderling is on top form, he might be too much this time around. The other matches between them have been very, very close.
Still - another quarter-final!!

Considering all that he went through physically and emotionally last week in winning his first tour title, he's done incredibly well to reach an ATP quarter-final just days afterwards. It really shows what an incredible fighter Andy is and his determination and mental toughness to come through matches like these, shows what a special player he is and marks him out from others.