Players Under The Microscope / Matthew Walton / 14 March 2011 /

Earlier on in the year Andy Murray lost his third Grand Slam final and his season hasn't exactly improved since. Matthew Walton wonders it's just a matter of time before he's back up in the Top 4 or whether he's already peaked...

In the wake of Andy Murray's crushing defeat by Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open numerous examples were given of players who had similarly struggled in Grand Slam finals early in their career, only to enjoy great success in their later years.

Andre Agassi lost his first three major finals. Ivan Lendl lost his first four. Both, however, ended up tied fifth in the all-time list of major champions, claiming eight titles apiece over the course of their long and distinguished careers.

And what about Kim Clijsters, winner of the ladies title at this year's Australian Open ... the Belgian also lost her first four major finals before finding the winning habit.

But it's a habit which sadly eludes Murray as the 23-year-old Scot is now 0/3 in finals (and 0/9 in sets) when it comes to Grand Slams.

And it's this record which has prompted a wider discussion of Murray's standing in the modern game. More to the point, his rather uneasy stance amongst the game's present day elite.

Murray now finds himself significantly adrift of the leading trio of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Djokovic in the rankings - a group that some 12-18 months ago he would have seen himself as being very much a part of. They had become the 'Big Four' of the ATP Tour.

Now, of course, the Scot's not even in the top four in the world (usurped by Robin Soderling, a three-time winner already this year) and his R1 losses in both Rotterdam and then Indian Wells have further loosened an already weakening hold on a high ranking.

A first ATP Tour title came Murray's way in 2006, he added two more in 2007. In 2008 a total of five trophies were added to the cabinet, then a further six in 2009. But only two last year. Admittedly both Masters Series events (Cincinnati & Shanghai) but a statistic which, in part, explains his drop in the rankings.

Reason for this downturn in fortunes has been attributed to any number of factors.

Murray has enjoyed a love/hate relationship with his coaches over the years - Mark Petchey, Brad Gilbert, Miles Maclagan and more recently Alex Corretja - to the point where Tony Roche (former coach to the stars: Lendl, Pat Rafter, Lleyton Hewitt, Federer) has been muted as a possible answer to the Scot's troubles.

A stronger sense of direction might also help in dispelling the (slightly unfair) criticism of Murray's tactics during Slams. His negative play (actually more his lack of attacking play) often cited as a reason for his failure at the very highest level.

His general demeanour and attitude is another source of concern for those supporters who desperately want to see Murray win but, thus far, have only seen him flatter to deceive.

And this constant failing is hard to fathom given his general level of form against the game's leading players.

Murray leads Federer 8:6 on their career head-to-heads. Some achievement. And, sure, he might trail Rafael Nadal 4:9 but after losing their first five matches it's been a highly competitive rivalry these past three years, all-square at four wins apiece.
And although Murray now lags behind Djokovic 3:5 after his Melbourne humiliation ... prior to that match, the Scot had won their three previous meetings, two of which were in Masters Series finals.

Without doubt, this is a guy who is a Grand Slam winner 'waiting to happen' but given the calibre of players who Murray has now lost to at his 'best' Grand Slams (i.e. Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open) this opinion is subject to debate. Guys like Stanislas Wawrinka, Fernando Verdasco, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Marin Cilic,

All these players, regularly overcome in lesser tournaments, have recently defeated Murray in the majors. The worry will be if they start to do so in the regular tour events - making that R1 loss to Donald Young in California such an ill-timed and worrying result.

Murray needs to draw a line (albeit a dotted one to start) under his experience Down Under. And he must do it quickly! Reason being, the tag of 'the best player never to win a major' always gets bandied around the game ... and Murray must make sure it doesn't stick with him.

Andy Murray trades at [34.0] for the next Grand Slam, the French Open.

Get more tennis analysis, comment and betting advice from Matthew Walton by going to https://www.tennis-tipster.co.uk/

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