Why I celebrated as Andy Murray crashed out in Melbourne

Australian Open Betting / Jamie "The Pacman" Pacheco / 15 January 2008 / 2 Comments

Jamie "The Pacman" Pacheco tells us why you won't find him on Murray Mount come June...

As someone who has never owned a car in the capital, I can vouch for the fact that London buses do in fact come in twos. I've always wondered why that is. Is it something to do with traffic patterns, is it that you notice this to be the case when it actually happens but don't think twice about it when it doesn't or does Transport for London specifically instruct the drivers to ensure that it does happen to strengthen the myth?

Last week I wrote my regular column on why I hate that sacred institution that is the FA Cup. This week I've decided to vent my anger towards the great white (British) hope that is Andy Murray. Murray has a textbook two-handed backhand and an attractive girlfriend - and those are the two nicest things I can say about the bloke.

I remember the first time I ever heard of him or saw him. I was sitting at home and watched as the lanky 18 year-old kept former Australian Open champion and all-round nice guy Tomas Johansson waiting on court for a good five minutes at Queens before strolling on listening to Black Eyed Peas on his ipod. A couple of weeks later, on his Wimbledon debut, he demanded to be "upgraded" from Court Number One to Centre Court for his third-round clash with David Nalbandian and the organizers agreed to the request. As it happens, Murray put in a brave performance going two sets up before cramp and inexperience got the better of him and the former Wimbledon finalist beat him in five. I could see what a talent he was but even back then something told me I'd never be cheering for him.

Which is why I'll happily admit to punching the air in celebration as the news that Murray had crashed out in the first round of the Australian Open popped up on Sky Sports News as I ate my breakfast on Monday morning. Don't get me wrong - there was no disgrace in going out to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Frenchman is a mammoth server with a brute of a forehand who can cause anyone trouble on his day. Despite looking in fantastic form in beating Stanislas Wawrinka in the final at Doha a couple of weeks ago, all is not well in the Murray camp and I think this was a big factor in Murray's defeat to Tsonga.

In late November, Murray sacked Brad Gilbert, arguably the finest coach in the game saying he needed a fresh start and new faces around him. He recruited a team of fitness experts and physios who would take turns in traveling with him around the world playing tournaments. Typical Murray. Gilbert doesn't suffer fools lightly and I suspect gave Murray a piece of his mind from time to time, particularly when it came to early starts involving fitness training, the very area which is Murray's achilles heel on the court. It's not for nothing that when Murray was training at the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona he was nicknamed "Lazy English". The irony of it is that the funding for Gilbert's coaching came from the LTA as opposed to Murray's own pocket.

Murray is now 20 years old and beginning to approach an age where the whole petulant, sulky teenager persona is beginning to wear a little thin. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are the same age as him and whereas it would be unfair to compare their tennis achievements, particularly Nadal's who is quite simply a freak, it is the difference in behaviour and attitude that I would highlight. Nadal and Djokovic are gentlemen on the court and mature young men off it. Or at least, any tantrums or hissy fits they may pull are not done in front of the cameras nor do they come out in the papers.

In a way Murray reminds me a bit of Kevin Pietersen when he first came on the scene. Before making his Test debut back in the summer of 2005, KP was all blue-blonde dyed hair, macho stand-offs against the world's best ODI bowlers and bragging of just how good he was to anyone who would listen. In other words, he was jumping the gun a bit for someone who hadn't actually achieved anything in the game. Murray is going down the same road and is beginning to believe the hype. Four titles to his name is a decent start but he has a long way to go yet.

A decent bet looks to be the [6.2] on Federer to win the Aussie Open without dropping a set. He looked in imperious form this morning and will benefit from the slower courts this year as it will mean the big servers like Roddick and Karlovic will be easier to break. At worst, the price will have shortened by the time he reaches the quarters and you can lay off but I wouldn't put it past Federer not dropping a set at all.

Comments (2)

1. Paul | 16 January 2008

   Agreed!

2. Spotty Dog | 30 October 2008

   You're article looks hopelessly silly 10 months later Jamie! No wonder you style yourself as "The Pacman"..... that character has a stupid big mouth as well!