Andy Murray Muddling Along
I was struck by some of Andy Murray’s comments after his loss to Novak Djokovic in the final of the 2011 Australian Open. It was the third time that Murray had lost a Grand Slam final, but the other two finals were against Roger Federer at the Australian Open
in 2010 and at the U.S. Open a couple years ago. Murray was reminded that other great champions have lost several Grand Slam finals before going on to win many Grand Slam titles, e.g. Andre Agassi also lost his first three Slam finals before ultimately winning a “career slam” (titles at Wimbledon, U.S. Open, Australian Open and the French Open).
Murray was asked after losing “down under” if he still believed that he could win a Grand Slam title and this was his response:
ANDY MURRAY: You know, I want to keep working hard, try and improve. You know, but I said before the final, it's not something that, you know, I don't lose sleep over at night. You know, it's going to be tough for sure for a few days. But, you know, I want to try and win one, of course. But if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. You know, I'm just working as hard as I can. I train very hard. You know, I take tennis very seriously.
But, you know, I love my life away from tennis, as well. You know, that's why maybe this year, compared with last, I'm very, very happy off the court. I'm enjoying myself. There's other things to look forward to, too.
Something seemed a little “off” in this response, especially the last few sentences… Yes, it’s wonderful that Murray is so happy off the court and hopefully that inspires him on the court. However, it doesn’t sound like anything that one would have heard/hear from the lips of Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer. Perhaps this is how Murray deals with the weight of expectations and it is his attempt to deflect some of the pressure he feels off his shoulders. Nonetheless, following up his Australian Open loss with a loss in his first match at his next tournament, albeit to the talented, Marcos Baghdatis, 6-4, 6-1,was also disappointing and somewhat surprising, especially the scoreline. Last year after losing at the Australian Open, Murray seemed quite down for a while and it showed in his form. Let’s hope that he regroups very soon and figures out what her really wants and what he needs to do to get there.
Murray was asked after losing “down under” if he still believed that he could win a Grand Slam title and this was his response:
ANDY MURRAY: You know, I want to keep working hard, try and improve. You know, but I said before the final, it's not something that, you know, I don't lose sleep over at night. You know, it's going to be tough for sure for a few days. But, you know, I want to try and win one, of course. But if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. You know, I'm just working as hard as I can. I train very hard. You know, I take tennis very seriously.
But, you know, I love my life away from tennis, as well. You know, that's why maybe this year, compared with last, I'm very, very happy off the court. I'm enjoying myself. There's other things to look forward to, too.
Something seemed a little “off” in this response, especially the last few sentences… Yes, it’s wonderful that Murray is so happy off the court and hopefully that inspires him on the court. However, it doesn’t sound like anything that one would have heard/hear from the lips of Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer. Perhaps this is how Murray deals with the weight of expectations and it is his attempt to deflect some of the pressure he feels off his shoulders. Nonetheless, following up his Australian Open loss with a loss in his first match at his next tournament, albeit to the talented, Marcos Baghdatis, 6-4, 6-1,was also disappointing and somewhat surprising, especially the scoreline. Last year after losing at the Australian Open, Murray seemed quite down for a while and it showed in his form. Let’s hope that he regroups very soon and figures out what her really wants and what he needs to do to get there.
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