It was at last year’s U.S. Open that Murray proved to me he is a legitimate threat to win Grand Slam titles. In New York, his win in the semifinals over Rafael Nadal was a tremendous experience for him and it put his game on a different level. He would lose to Roger Federer in the final but conquering Nadal was a big step for him.
Previously the knock on Murray was that he wasn’t strong enough or physically fit enough to take on the heavyweights on the ATP Tour. Murray has changed that in part through getting in some solid work in the offseason. He’s put more muscle on his frame. He trained in Miami and followed a regimen of working out in the mornings and afternoons with a three hour break in between. He adjusted his diet and that along with the conditioning have paid off. He has way more pop on his serve and a stronger serve has made him that much tougher to beat. His added strength has done wonders for his confidence.
Murray’s strong points start with the texture of his game, the slice, the spin, hitting with depth and then power. He makes shots that other players wouldn’t even think about attempting.
He has always been a supreme tactician on the court, knowing when to hit the ball harder or when to soften up a shot and when to hit for depth or go for the angles. His serve has much more pace and he has integrated a lot of pace into his groundstrokes. Most of this is instinct and he just has that. He can look at a ball and instantly decide what needs to be done. He has an innate ability when it comes to choosing what shots to play.
Murray is very strategic. His shots are well thought out. He constructs points well. He has versatility, like hitting a drop shot and coming in a bit more. He can hit the ball hard and he knows when to go for a winner. He has always been able to choose a good tempo of play and he also moves very well. There isn’t much Murray doesn’t have going for him. He’s now at the point where he is working on subtle things in his game.
He was impressive in the weeks leading up to the Australian Open. In an exhibition in the United Arab Emirates he beat Roger Federer one day and Nadal the next. He followed that up by winning the title in Doha, Qatar and in doing so he picked up another win over Federer and also a victory over Andy Roddick. Murray has beaten Federer three straight times and in his career he is 5-2 against the Swiss.
Murray opened play in Melbourne with a win over Andrei Paval, who had to retire after 45 minutes due to back problems.
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Murray has proven to be mentally tough. He’s shown the ability to play big points well. That’s in part why he has beaten Federer, Nadal, Roddick and also Novak Djokovic. His game is matching up to those of the best players on a regular basis.
Britain hasn’t had a Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry won at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 1936 so you can imagine the expectations on Murray. Tim Henman has retired and so for Murray there is no hiding from the press. A few years ago Murray wasn’t ready for all the media hype and attention. He didn’t always handle it well but he’s matured and is doing a better job of it now as everything is finally coming together for him.
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