Sir Andy Murray

[sheva]

Shanghai Masters - Red-hot Murray crushes Nishikori



Andy Murray crushed Kei Nishikori 6-3 6-0 to reach the final of the Shanghai Masters.

The Scot hit seven aces and won 83 per cent of his service points as he completed an easy victory in just 56 minutes at the Qi Zhong Stadium.

Murray will now meet David Ferrer in Sunday's final and remains firmly on course to complete an Asian title treble after claiming titles at the Thailand Open and the Japan Open.

The 21-year-old Nishikori, in his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, was broken in his second service game when he sent a forehand wide.

And the Japanese was unable to hold his serve in the ninth game as the second seed broke him to love to take the opening stanza in just 26 minutes.

Murray, who is now on a 14-match winning streak since losing in the US Open semi-finals to Rafael Nadal, served superbly in the first set - getting 14 of 17 first serves in play and conceding just one point on his serve.

Nishikori, who will become the highest-ranked Japanese player in the Open era on Monday, did take the Scot to deuce in the third game of the second set but his own serve collapsed.

The Japanese, guided by Murray’s former coach Brad Gilbert, only had a 50% first serve percentage and lost 10 of 11 games on his second serve as the British number reached his sixth final of the year.

Ferrer lost to the Scot in the semi-finals in Tokyo, winning just five games in the process, and defending champion Murray will be the hot favourite to win his 21st career title on Sunday.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/15102011/ ... ikori.html

[Ranger]

Murray Poised To Pass Federer As World No. 3



Defending champion Andy Murray charged back into the Shanghai Rolex Masters final on Saturday, dismissing Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-0 in just 56 minutes. Should he defeat Spaniard David Ferrer in Sunday's final, Murray will move ahead of Roger Federer as the World No. 3. "It would be nice to finish the year off No. 3 if I can because that would be the highest ranking I finished at," said Murray. "It's not the ultimate goal, but it's a step in the right direction... I can't really finish as the No. 2 or 1. So it's just a goal I had for the end of the month."

Federer has been ranked inside the Top 3 since July 7, 2003, after he moved up to third in the South African Airways ATP Rankings following his first Grand Slam title triumph at Wimbledon. The last time he was ranked below No. 3 was on June 23, 2003.

Murray's victory against Nishikori marked his 24th win in his past 25 matches. "I served well. Got a lot of free points on my serve," Murray said.

"I didn't give him any chances. If you can do that, then you can make life easy for yourself. And because the courts and the balls are very fast here, if you serve well, you're going to give yourself opportunities because you can definitely put pressure on guys by getting through a few quick service games."

After each player held to begin the match, Murray quickly took command of the encounter, breaking Nishikori in the third game of the first set. He was dominant on serve, winning all but one of his 17 service points in the set. The Scot broke Nishikori again in the ninth game to take a one set lead.

Murray ran away with the second set, winning 68 percent of his return points to break Nishikori three times, while holding comfortably to wrap up the pair’s first meeting. He did not face a break point en route to his second final appearance in Shanghai.

The fourth-ranked Murray is bidding to clinch an Asian title hat-trick, having triumphed at the PTT Thailand Open (d. Young) and knocking off Rafael Nadal in last week’s Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships final in Tokyo. Murray lifted his seventh ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown in Cincinnati (d. Djokovic) and also won the AEGON Championships in June (d. Tsonga).

The second-seeded Murray will square off against Ferrer in Sunday’s title match, after the third seed rallied to beat countryman Feliciano Lopez 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3. Murray holds a 4-3 edge in their head-to-head series, and has claimed all four of their hard court meetings.

Źródło: http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... ikori.aspx

[Ranger]

Murray keeps rolling, crushes Nishikori



Andy Murray maintains his hot streak with an easy win over Kei Nishikori in the Shanghai semifinals on Saturday. Murray will battle David Ferrer for the title.

Andy Murray rolled past Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-0 in the semifinals of the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Saturday night. The on-fire Murray needed just 56 minutes to set up a showdown in the title match with familiar foe David Ferrer.

Nishikori dropped serve in the third game of the match but managed to hold three of his first four service attempts for 3-4 in the first set. If the Japanese underdog had visions of making this one competitive at that point, Murray had other ideas. The second-seeded Scot promptly won eight straight games to completely run away with the win.

Nishikori, who owned just a single match victory at a Masters event prior to this week, enjoyed the best showing of his career--but it did not end well. The world No. 47 made error after error and moved horribly over the final six games. Nishikori won only one return point in the first set and won a mere 12 total points in the second.

Murray fired seven aces and earned 22 of 23 points when he put in a first serve. The world No. 4 is through to his third consecutive final following titles in Bangkok and Tokyo. He boasts an incredible 24-1 record dating back to the Cincinnati Masters.

Źródło: http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20111 ... _Nishikori

[Ranger]

An interview with: ANDY MURRAY

Spoiler:

15 October 2011 A. MURRAY / K. Nishikori (6 3, 6 0)

Q. If you win tomorrow, you'll go above Federer in the rankings to No. 3. I know you have a career winning record against Federer, but what would that mean to you?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, obviously that's something that I'll been trying to do for these next few months, because I can't really finish the No. 2 or 1. So it's just a goal I had for the end of the month.

It would be nice to finish the year off No. 3 if I can because that would be the highest ranking I finished at. It's not the ultimate goal, but it's a step in the right direction.

Q. What especially pleased you tonight?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I served well. Got a lot of free points on my serve. Didn't give him any chances. If you can do that, then you can make life easy for yourself. And because of the courts and the balls are very fast here, if you serve well, you're going to give yourself opportunities 'cause you can definitely put pressure on guys by getting through a few quick service games.

Q. How tough an opponent could David Ferrer be?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, he's always tough. He's No. 5 in the world, so one of the toughest guys on the tour to play against. Yeah, I mean, I played well against him last week. But every match is obviously different. He's definitely going to be bang up for the match tomorrow.

He's got a great attitude. He fights, well, right until the end in every single match. It's definitely a match where if I want to win, I'm going to have to play very, very well.

Q. You do so much work on your serve in practice. There must be days when you're frustrated when it doesn't go in. Does that make nights like tonight particularly satisfying?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, you can't serve well every single day, just like you can't hit any of your groundstrokes well or return well. You know, you can't serve well every single day. But obviously if you can, you know, have nights like tonight, it's nice. You want to try to have as many of them as possible.

But, yeah, I practice my serve a lot. It's a shot that, when it's going well, I can get a lot of free points off. But I also think when I don't serve well, I find other ways to win matches by breaking serve, making a lot of balls from the back of the court.

So obviously it's a big weapon when it's working well.

Q. What did you specifically do well against him last week? Given the conditions and the balls are different here, will that mean a major tactical change or much more of the same?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, last week I got a good start and made sure I kept hitting my groundstrokes 'cause against him, if you leave the ball short in the court, he has one of the most accurate forehands on the tour. So he can make you do a lot of running with that.

I think he served better this week, because he's probably getting an extra maybe 10 kilometers an hour on his serve because of the ball. So it will definitely be harder to break him.

But, yeah, I mean, the main thing is just to make sure you're not leaving the ball in the middle of the court. You need to try to dictate as many points as you can. I managed to do that last week. But I'm sure he'll try and make some changes.

Q. How are you feeling psychologically? Are you quite confident you can continue your form?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. I've been playing well. Just trying to go each match at a time, not get ahead of myself. Had quite a few late nights. Just quite looking forward to going to my bed and getting myself ready for tomorrow.

Q. Rumors that Djokovic is going to have his wedding very soon and named you as the best man of his wedding.

ANDY MURRAY: No, he hasn't. I don't know where that came from.

Q. That's not true?

ANDY MURRAY: No.

Q. Last week in Beijing some players pointed out the number of the audience inside the court is not that big, not too many people, even for the finals. Are you satisfied with what the court looked like today in Shanghai?

ANDY MURRAY: Was I satisfied?

Q. Because the people inside the court is not that many.

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I got that. What's the question?

Q. Are you satisfied with today's audience?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I don't mind. I mean, obviously if you play in front of a full crowd, that makes for a better atmosphere. But it's not down to me. I just need to get on with my job and try and win. But every player probably likes playing in front of a full stadium.

Źródło: http://www.shanghaimasters1000.com/Engl ... 8/857.html

[Ranger]

#21) Szanghaj Masters-1000 2011

R64 Bye
R32 Dimytry Tursunov w/o
R16 Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) 6/4, 3/6, 6/3
Q Matthew Ebden (AUS) 6/3, 3/2
S Kei Nishikori (JPN) 6/3, 6/0
F David Ferrer (SPA) 7/5, 6/4

[Ranger]

Murray Retains Shanghai Crown To Complete Asian Hat-trick

Second seed Andy Murray won his third ATP World Tour title in three weeks in Asia as he retained his Shanghai Rolex Masters crown with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over third seed David Ferrer on Sunday.

Victory will see the 24-year-old Murray overtake Roger Federer at World No. 3 in the South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings. It will be the first time since 7 July, 2003, when he won his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, that Federer has ranked outside the Top 3.

Murray has now won 25 of his past 26 matches. The Scot came into Shanghai on the back of title runs at the PTT Thailand Open in Bangkok (d. Young) and the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo (d. Nadal), and prior to a semi-final loss at the US Open (l. to Nadal) had triumphed at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati (d. Djokovic).

"It’s been one of the best runs of my life," said Murray. "I’ve played very, very well the last few weeks. I was very nervous today because I wanted to win here and defend my title. I’m very happy to come through. Ferrer’s one of the toughest players on the tour and one of the best people; it’s a pleasure to share the court with him. I love playing here; it’s one of my favourite places to play."

Victory in Shanghai was Murray’s fifth success of the year in total, having also lifted the trophy at the AEGON Championships in London (d. Tsonga) in June. He also reached his third Grand Slam final at the Australian Open (l. to Djokovic) and posted semi-final showings at Roland Garros and Wimbledon (l. to Nadal both times).

In a 10-minute first game Murray ended Ferrer’s run of 31 successive service holds as he broke through to lead 1-0. His lead was shortlived, though, as Ferrer immediately hit back to draw level. The Spaniard paid the price for three unforced errors in succession, including a double fault, as he surrendered his serve in the 11th game and this time Murray did not let him off the hook, serving out the 56-minute opener.

In the same scenario as the first set, Murray squandered a break in the first service game of the second set, but was able to regain his lead in the third game with a forehand lob winner. Under pressure, Ferrer fended off two break points in the fifth game, but could find no way to penetrate Murray’s defences on serve and the Scot wrapped up victory in one hour and 45 minutes. He also defeated Ferrer last week in the Tokyo semi-finals and improved to a 5-3 lead in their FedEx ATP Head2Head standings.

Murray, who had defeated Federer in the final a year earlier, captured his eighth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown, taking him to joint-sixth place with Thomas Muster on the title leaders list (since 1990).

Ferrer, who finished runner-up in an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final for the third time in his career, said, "I fought a lot, but today it was impossible to beat Andy. He’s a very good player and person. I didn't serve really good this match, also because Andy received very well and I had to play closer to the lines. Andy was better than me in the second set. Maybe in the first set I had my chances. [But] I played so bad this game [at 5-5]. After I had a long time serving very bad. Anyway, is difficult to beat Andy in these moments. He is playing with [a lot of] confidence."

"I enjoyed the week a lot. Here in Shanghai, I’ve had the best moments of my career; I reached the final [of the Tennis Masters Cup] in 2007 and again this year. I hope to win next year."

The Spaniard also lost out in the 2010 Internazionali BNL d’Italia final in Rome and in this year’s Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters title match, falling to Rafael Nadal both times. The 29-year-old Spaniard, who had saved three match points in his quarter-final win over Juan Carlos Ferrero on Friday, was rewarded for his efforts this week by becoming the fifth player to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... Title.aspx

[DUN I LOVE]

8 tytuł Masters-1000!



Andy Murray wygrał w Szanghaju po raz drugi, łącznie zapisując na swoim koncie już ósmy triumf w turnieju rangi Masters-1000, czym wyrównał osiągnięcie Austriaka Thomasa Mustera.

Najwięcej wygranych turniejów Masters-1000 w historii:
19 – Rafael Nadal
17 – Andre Agassi, Roger Federer
11 – Pete Sampras
10 – Novak Djoković
8 – Thomas Muster, Andy Murray.

[DUN I LOVE]

Murray wraca do Top-3.

Andy Murray nie został dziś debiutantem w gronie Top-3. Szkot po raz pierwszy trafił tam 11 maja 2008 roku, a nieco ponad 3 miesiące później (w notowaniu z 17 sierpnia) był wiceliderem rankingu, co do dziś jest jego rankingowym rekordem.

Czołówka rankingu ATP Entry – stan na 17 października 2011 roku:
1. Novak Djoković – 13,860
2. Rafael Nadal – 10,375
3. Andy Murray – 7,825
4. Roger Federer -7,780
5. David Ferrer – 4,710

[Ranger]

Murray says self-imposed Twitter ban might have helped his tennis



Andy Murray has come to the conclusion that Tweeting could be somehow bad for his game.

And with his October miracle in Asia as proof, the Scot has taken the precaution of not bothering with his feed to more than 600,000 followers on the social networking site.

Murray first stopped tweeting on the day after he lost a US Open semi-final to Rafael Nadal, sending out his last message on September 11. Now, after more than a month of silence, he's starting to feel that the decision may have helped to fix his tennis.

Murray says that while can't prove his Tweeting theory, why take the chance after dominating the ATP in Asia. "I just stopped doing it and I'm not missing it to be honest," he told British television. "It was fun for a while but I just stopped and surprisingly I haven't lost a match since I stopped tweeting.

"Tennis players and all sportsmen are pretty superstitious, so I blame my US Open loss on Tweeting!"

Źródło: http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20111 ... his_tennis

[robpal]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFDRKsTC ... e=youtu.be[/youtube]

[Robertinho]

Murray's three steps toward Grand Slam greatness





Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer being out, Rafael Nadal being tired and full of self-doubt... all of these have made for a very happy Andy Murray right now.

The Scotsman was able to take his chance during the Asian Swing and so claimed three titles: the ATP 250 in Bangkok, the ATP 500 in Tokyo and ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai.

But for Murray those victories are about more than just winning a lot of points, and becoming world number three by leapfrogging Roger Federer (who is slowly but surely going on in his fall in the rankings). The wins have filled Murray with confidence.

I've always banged on about how there's no substitute for winning. After all, it's how Novak Djokovic became the player he is right now: his amazing streak was born out of consistent victories, and was reinforced by continuing wins. It's a virtuous circle that has given him outstanding strength.

So Andy fully deserves the congratulations after his hat-trick of wins, despite the circumstances that have led others to question their worth. Winning three tournaments in a row requires a huge amount of focus and will, no matter who is on the other side of the net.



That fact is vitally important for the new world number three. Murray is a player who has often fallen victim to losing his concentration for spells during a match, but he has shown in the clearest possible manner that he is overcoming that weakness.

He will, without any doubt, find new strength and belief after this spell of success. The effect of the 2011 Asian Swing will be a defining moment for his level of play, his consistency, and his entire career.

His technical and tactical abilities have always been a match for those of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. Not so his consistency, confidence and ability to deal with frustration.

And that's exactly what these three titles will help him address. He will move forward from here with more confidence, greater serenity and enhanced mental toughness. It's a real step towards his first Grand Slam title.

http://eurosport.yahoo.com/tennis/patri ... icle/2611/

[sheva]

Asia ace Murray says his fitness has never been better




Gluten-free Andy Murray says he could not feel fitter after three weeks of top tennis in Asia yielded three straight ATP titles.

"Honestly, I feel fine," said the winner of the trophy hat-trick, which concluded last weekend in Shanghai at the Masters 1000.

"My back was a little bit stiff and your legs get a little bit more tired like after long points, like kind of the accumulation of playing a lot of matches. But literally apart from a few blisters and sore feet, nothing's sore."

While not specifically mentioning his gluten-free status since the end of Wimbledon over the summer, Murray points to vast improvements in his physical state on court. In fact, he would theoretically be keen to continue - right here, right now.

"For sure I could play (this) week if I didn't have to travel," assured Murray, who said the difference between his fitness now and a year ago is huge. "But the reason not to play three weeks in a row is that it's quite challenging every day to keep getting up and wanting to win and giving 110 percent.

"You need to make sure you're fresh mentally to be able to do that. That's why I'll take the next couple of weeks off. My body feels 50 percent better than it did this time last year in terms of like pain, stiffness, little niggles."

http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20111 ... een_better

[Ranger]

Murray hopes to call on coach Cahill's help



Andy Murray seems to have hit the best seam of form so far in his career without the services of a regular coach.

But that could change if the world No. 3 makes a move to try and employ a mentor by the start of 2012 and the Australian Open.

Still in the discussion is Australian uber-coach Darren Cahill, whose lucrative ESPN television commentary commitments seem certain to again rule him out as a candidate. The former coach of Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt could possibly spare some time though in December, when Murray goes into heavy-duty training mode at his hot-weather Miami base.

"It would be good if Darren could be there," Murray said after winning the Shanghai Masters at the weekend. "It wouldn't necessarily have to be for the whole time because a lot of the time in Miami, I'm just doing physical work and I'm not doing that much time on the court.

"But I hope I'll be able to get a little bit of time with Darren in December."

As a member of Team adidas, Murray has a bid on the services of Cahill, who works as a "house" coach for all players on the marquee. But as a Top five player, Murray also enjoys a certain priority.

"We've both got the same goals, the same mindset. All of the guys do. And we just want to keep improving," said Murray of Las Vegas-based Cahill. "He works hard and always has good information on the opponents and it's down to me to play well on the court."

Murray also remains satisfied with the work done for him by his long-time team, with Venezuelan friend Dani Vallverdu serving as a regular coach and sounding board along with the rest of the squad including physio, trainer and the rest.

"It's not easy to find the perfect solution because there's very few people who want to do that much travelling," said Murray of his chances of finally landing a coach after nearly 18 months in his current situation. "Good coaches have other commitments sometimes and you have to see who can give you exactly what you want. There's not many guys like that."

Źródło: http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20111 ... l%27s_help

[Ranger]

Murray clan says Judy no pushy tennis mum



Judy Murray insists that she's no pushy tennis mum, with her point perhaps proven as she stayed away from the just-concluded ATP Asian swing where second son Andy won three of three events.

The highest-profile mum on the ATP, a Twitter fanatic with a public lust for hunky Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, has defended her position to British media. "In the last eight weeks, I've only seen him a handful of times. I spend most of my life promoting tennis in Scotland and over the last few years I've gone to fewer and fewer tournaments.

"People think I'm always right there beside Andy, always watching his games. But that's not true, we're very rarely in the same place."

Speculation in the game suggests that coach Judy may be the reason why her 24-year-old world No. 3 son is taking his time in finding a coach, after going without for nearly 18 months. Any future mentor for Andy would no doubt have to get along with Judy.

Murray himself defends his mother's position, saying she has never been on top of him and his tennis. "These days I'm under a lot of pressure, and I think if I'd been under a lot of pressure when I was younger it would have all been too much.

"Being pushy is the worst thing a parent can be - if you push your children, you stop them enjoying whatever it is they're good at."

Źródło: http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20111 ... tennis_mum

[sheva]

Coming Back for More

by Steve Tignor



You might not love Andy Murray’s attitude or his mouth. You might not love his forehand or his slump-shouldered walk. You might not love his sometimes-passive style of play or the way he gets crabby at 30-all in the first game. You might think he kvetches a little too much about all of the oversize checks he gets to take home. You might be skeptical that Murray, who, after his win in Shanghai today has eight Masters titles and zero majors, can get it done when the pressure is undeniably on.

You’d have a reason to think all of these things; with his skills, the lack of a Slam title will always be what’s mentioned first about Murray, rather than anything that he has won. But after his latest fall surge, which followed yet another bitter Slam defeat, at the U.S. Open, you’d also have to admit that the guy keeps giving us a reason to watch him, write about him, enjoy what he can do on a tennis court, and, yes, believing in him. Murray is less renowned than Rafael Nadal or David Ferrer for his persistence and ability to bounce back, but his career is proving to be, among other things, one of great resilience.

Murray, as you probably know by now, just completed an Asian-swing hat trick, winning in consecutive weeks in Bangkok, Tokyo, and at the biggest tournament of the three, the Shanghai Rolex Masters. He didn’t do it smoothly, like Roger Federer. He didn’t do it with rousing passion, like Rafael Nadal. He didn’t do it with athletic precision, like Novak Djokovic. He didn’t even change his much-maligned attitude or playing style a whole lot. This was a purely Murray-esque win, with anxious misses, ill-advised tantrums, and rectangular-lipped roars intact. And that might be the best thing about it.

“I was really happy with the way I focused,” Murray said after beating David Ferrer in a half-ragged but mostly convincing 7-5, 6-4 final. “It’s hard to explain. It’s almost as if you’d think the more matches you win, the less pressure you feel. I was hitting the ball well, but there’s still a little bit of tension because you want to try and keep the run going. . . . I wasn’t necessarily playing my best tennis the whole way throughout, but I served well when I needed to and I chased the ball down.”

In other words, Murray made the best of what he had. He won even after he gave back breaks of serve at the start of both sets. He beat a fellow grinder while only coming to the net 10 times. When he could, Murray went hard to Ferrer’s forehand and opened up the point from there, but when he got behind in rallies, he still made Ferrer finish the point. The Spaniard often couldn’t do it.

Murray has beaten Ferrer four straight times on hard courts, and it’s a good matchup for him. He can defend like Ferrer, but he has a little more versatility on offense. Still, Murray could never break free today. He let Ferrer off the hook at 3-1 and 4-2 in the second set, and he needed two aces to save himself at 4-3. In the end, he relied on a possibly weary and slightly off form Ferrer to help him along.

“This week I think overall it’s satisfying,” Murray said. “I didn’t necessarily feel like I played amazing tennis, I just did the right things, made it very difficult for my opponents, and won a tournament of this size when I still felt like I could have played a little bit better.”

No one knows his own game like Murray, and he described it to a T when he said he “made it very difficult for his opponents.” Now that the hat trick is complete, we move on to the next question: What did it mean? Did it mean, for example, more than his win in Shanghai last year? Did Murray show anything more than what he’s always shown, an ability to make life difficult for his opponents? I think there are two positives to take away.

First, his serve and his forehand. The serve will come and go, but it’s getting him out of more holes than it once did. As for the forehand, he went after it the way many of us have wanted him to go after it against Nadal in Tokyo, and he was rewarded for it in the end. Murray never matched that level of aggressiveness in Shanghai, but he was still committed to trying to dictate with his forehand.

Second, his mental approach. Murray said he felt, paradoxically, more pressure as the wins built up, and he showed it in the quarters, the semis, and the final with his hair-trigger temper. This time, though, he fought off his own negativity with shows of positive emotion. More important, belying his perfectionist’s style, he put the screw-ups behind him and won anyway.

Maybe this is all just another false alarm and Murray will come crashing back to earth when he faces Djokovic, Nadal, or Federer in the later rounds at the World Tour Finals and the Australian Open. Maybe we’ll keep hearing those guys reassure the world, after they’ve beaten him, that Andy will win the big one someday, don’t worry, he’s too good not to. Even if that does happen again, it’s time to give Murray his due as a fighter in his own right, and a player who brings a unique personality and approach to the sport. Murray doesn’t win with Federer’s smoothness or Djokovic’s precise athleticism, but no one else leans into a backhand quite like he does or hits a perfect running forehand crosscourt pass every single time.

Murray has taken a ton of tough losses over the years, and he’s deserved the criticism he’s received for them. He’s also internalized it—after his semifinal loss at the U.S. Open, he said that if you only count the majors, he’s had a “terrible” career. That’s obviously nonsense—how many players in the history of the game have reached the semis at all four majors in one season, as Murray did in 2011?

What’s frustrating for me is the sense that Murray still hasn’t shown us all he can do. I can’t remember the exact match, but early in Shanghai he was, very briefly, completely at his ease on court. For a few minutes, it seemed that he could do anything with the ball, and he wasn’t hiding his cockiness about it. He curled his shots this way and that, cut under the ball with more slice than needed, carved volleys at unnecessary angles, came in on nothing and made it work because of his anticipation, and generally played circles around his opponent. It was like watching Dolgopolov, except that it all made sense. It was really more like watching Federer in “full flight.” Murray can do it all, and his full flight could soar as high as Federer’s. But it’s unlikely he’ll ever be relaxed enough to get up there for very long. In the meantime, if the forehand keeps getting punchier, and he can keep putting the bad moments behind him, he may not need to get all the way up there to win a major.

But before we start Slamming Murray again, it’s worth noting that he hasn’t let all of those tough losses crush his ornery, methodical spirit. (And it’s not like they don’t affect him deeply. We’ve seen him go into emotional tailspins after his last two Aussie Open losses before eventually digging himself out.) Murray claims he’s had a terrible career at the majors, but that only covers eight weeks of the year. Those of us who love the sport watch it the other 40-some weeks as well. And those of who love the sport, for its subtle shot-making and emotional violence, should be glad that Andy Murray is still coming back for more of both.

*****

I'm off this week, but I'll be back for the women's season-ender in Istanbul. Have a great week.

http://blogs.tennis.com/thewrap/2011/10 ... -more.html

[Ranger]

Why Andy Murray Will Never Win a Grand Slam

Why Andy Murray Will Never Win a Grand Slam



Many are discussing Murray as possibly "pulling a Djokovic next year," due to his recent success during the end of the year hard court season.

Murray will never pull a Djokovic, though, because Andy Murray will never win a grand slam title.

Federer, Nadal and, most recently, Djokovic have all found a means to catapult to the forefront of tennis and assert levels of dominance that Murray has never come close to and never will.

Here are reasons why.

1. His First Showing Was Awful



In the first slam final in which he played, Murray was never in command of the match. He was never even in control of a set, rarely controlled games and was passive in most of the rallies.

Federer smoked him in straight sets, after the worst year he'd had since his first major title.

There are many reasons put forth as to why Murray's display was so poor. It was his first time, there was a lot of pressure and he was still young.

The case is the same for all great champions, though, and they never succumbed to these pressures in the same way that Murray did.

2. His Next Showings Looked a Lot Like the First



Many thought that when Murray reached another slam final that it would be a different story.

He had more experience, he was playing with confidence and it was against a player with whom he had a solid head to head record.

Yet again, he was obliterated in straight sets.

Murray had set points in the third, but let Federer's racket decide whether or not they would be converted.

At the most recent Australian Open, many thought that Murray could take the title due to the fact that the man who had stopped him in his last two runs was not across the net.

Djokovic destroyed him worse than even Federer ever had, though, leading to the conclusion that it's not just his opponents, but the fact that Murray cannot step up and play well in a major final.

3. He Cannot Defeat the Top Three Players at a Grand Slam



Federer always stopped him on hard courts, Nadal always ended his runs on grass and Murray never had much potential as a clay court player.

Murray simply does not have the game to defeat these legends when it matters most.

During his matches against Nadal at the All England Club, Murray had several break point chances and opportunities. In their most recent encounter, he took the first set and had a put away forehand to go up a break in the second.

He hit it a foot out, though, and from then on Nadal never looked back, leaving Murray eliminated by the Spaniard for the second time in a row.

Since Murray cannot defeat him, Federer or Djokovic at major tournaments, Murray will not win a title, because in order to do so you usually need to beat two of them.

4. His Mentality Is Awful



Federer has a cool, unaffected demeanor which allows little to get to him on the court.

Nadal has an impenetrable, mesomorphic presence that gets into his opponent's heads.

Djokovic has recently improved his mentality to the point where even Nadal fears him.

Murray is the only player in the top four whose on court mentality is a detriment to his play rather than a benefit.

The other four have improved theirs to the point where it has become one of their weapons, but Murray's presence of mind always lets him down at the most important stages of the majors and, until he improves it, he will never have a shot at a title.

5. He Cannot Overcome British Expectation



Murray faces more pressure than the other members of "the big four" due to the fact that a British man has not won a grand slam for what Federer called, "150,000 years."

The British press can be ruthless, and Murray's unachieved potential has led many to believe that he will end up as the country's next Tim Henman.

Until he can find a way to not let these expectations get to him, he will never be able to overcome them, as well as the best players in the world, to get his first major title.

Źródło: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/9058 ... grand-slam

[Barty]

Judy Murray: I'm not a pushy parent

Tennis player Andy Murray is ranked No 4 in the world, and his older brother Jamie is a Wimbledon doubles champion. Much of their success is down to their mother Judy – but is she a pushy parent? Joanna Moorhead meets the trio to find out


Judy Murray in 1996 with Andy aged nine, left, and Jamie.

If there was a competition for Britain's pushiest mother, here's betting Judy Murray would win. There she is every year at Wimbledon, punching the air in delight or grimacing in pain at son Andy's successes and failures; her face is the barometer of Britain's tennis hopes, which are raised each year when Andy strides on to Centre Court. So far, victory in any of the four grand-slam championships has eluded him (not so his brother Jamie, who won the Wimbledon mixed doubles in 2007); some even think Judy's constant presence, rather than encouraging him, is somehow holding him back. Boris Becker obviously thought so when he hinted, earlier this year, that Andy needed a bit of space from his mother.

When I mention the "p" word to Judy, she almost bristles; it is clear this is a label she loathes. "Because of the way it's reported, people think I'm always right there beside Andy, always watching his games. But that's not true, we're very rarely in the same place. In the last eight weeks, I've only seen him a handful of times. I spend most of my life promoting tennis in Scotland ... over the last few years I've gone to fewer and fewer tournaments."

Andy is more forthright. "Being pushy is the worst thing a parent can be – if you push your children, you stop them enjoying whatever it is they're good at," he says. "At points in my youth I stopped playing tennis, and it wasn't as though my mum or dad was saying, 'you've got to go back to it'." Piling on the pressure then would have meant he'd have burnt out by now, he says. "These days I'm under a lot of pressure, and I think if I'd been under a lot of pressure when I was younger it would have all been too much."

More important than her pushiness – or lack of it – was, says Judy, the existence of Jamie, Andy's brother, who's 15 months older. "I think Andy has a lot to thank Jamie for," she says. "He was just a bit older, and a bit better, and Andy was always striving to keep up." A classic case of sibling rivalry, then? Judy shakes her head: "They have very different personalities and strengths, making Jamie a natural doubles player and Andy a natural singles player. And it's probably a blessing their careers don't conflict," she says.

Interestingly, given that he has had so many championship defeats, Andy says having Jamie to play against gave him staying power. "He was bigger and better than me, so I had to learn to lose. I never enjoyed losing to him … but I kept on going, and by the time I was 15 or 16, I started to win."

Judy insists the brothers are great friends. "They can say things to one another that they probably wouldn't say to anyone else. But there's no jealousy or rivalry." This is not altogether convincing – there has been at least one high-profile row – but one suspects that smoothing over the waters is second nature to Judy.

What, though, about money – the rewards for being even a highly ranked doubles player such as Jamie pale into insignificance compared with what Andy, the world's No 4 men's singles player, can earn? "We're a very normal family – we've never had a lot of money, and the whole fame and financial reward part of tennis has never been a big thing for us," says Judy.

Their normality means they are all still rooted in the Scottish town to which they moved 25 years ago when Judy, now 52, was pregnant with Andy. Her then-husband Willie (they split up when the boys were teenagers) was working nearby, Jamie was just one, and the town – Dunblane – seemed a perfect, safe place to raise children.

I have been warned not to question the Murrays about what happened in Dunblane – they don't want to speak about it any more, they say – but Jamie and Andy were both in school on 13 March 1996, the day when Thomas Hamilton walked in and shot most of the children in the Primary One class and the teacher, Gwen Mayor. All Judy will say is how unbelievable it still feels that something that terrible could happen in her home town. For a long while afterwards, she says, the whole place was silent, in shock.

In Andy's autobiography, she relates how, after hearing that there had been a shooting, she raced to the scene. "I can just remember slamming on my horn and swearing at the top of my voice while shouting GET OUT OF THE WAY!" she writes. "Eventually I had to stop the car and pull over. You couldn't get near the school for all the police vehicles and other cars that lined the road. I ran towards the school gates. You couldn't get near those either."

She has said it was the worst day of her life; after a wait that seemed like an eternity, someone asked all those parents with children in Mrs Mayor's class to go with them; she remembers almost collapsing with relief, before being guilt-stricken when she realised a friend with whom she had been waiting had a daughter in that class.

Dunblane had always been almost too quiet for Judy. She had given up her job after Andy was born, and found herself going a bit stir-crazy with two small boys. The best way to deal with their energy and her frustration, she found, was to play games – ball games, balancing games, running games – in the sitting room and on the lawn; and to make them as imaginative, and competitive as possible.

Judy is convinced these games put her boys on the road to tennis super-stardom – and her sons agree. "We'd got used to playing sports, and it was what we wanted to do," says Jamie. Now, Judy, is so evangelical about the value of playing games with young children that she's started a campaign, Set4Sport, to encourage parents to do just that. It involves a series of roadshows around the country, and a book in which Judy offers a step-by-step guide to the games she played with her kids when they were young. "You don't need a huge amount of space, and you don't need lots of special equipment – just a few balls, and ordinary things you'd have around your house."

But there was, of course, more to the Murrays' success than a mother who wasn't too precious about the paintwork, and was always up for a ball game. I have not been offered the chance to hear Willie's point of view, but he surely had a part in his boys' tennis playing? "Absolutely he did – everyone knows how involved my mum has been, and she's become a big figure in the game," says Jamie. "But my dad supported us just as much as my mum when we were growing up, and he made sacrifices for us so we could play, just as Mum did. He doesn't get as much notice because he can't come to as many matches – he's the retail manager for a chain of shops, so he can't just drop everything to jet to Madrid or Paris to watch our matches. But he's very proud of us as well."

It is clearly fortunate for the Murray boys that their mother never returned to her job in sales; instead, she retrained as a tennis coach, and has been coaching ever since (for nine years she was the national junior coach for Scotland, training Elena Baltacha and Colin Fleming as well as her own sons).

When first Jamie, then Andy needed more serious coaching, she sent them away to schools specialising in tennis; and when it became clear that Andy, at 15, needed to concentrate full-time on playing, she endorsed it. "We knew he could always go back to studying later on," Judy says.

The truth about Judy is that she is tennis-obsessed. What is perceived as pushiness at Centre Court is arguably just mad-keen enthusiasm for the game. She once said that there is a big difference between people who push their kids to do things, and people who push to make things happen for their kids. Maybe next time we see her on the edge of her seat, we should give her a break. "Whenever they're out there, I never stop myself from thinking how they're a couple of little brothers from Scotland," she admits. "They've done so well. It's incredible, really."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ ... sfeed=true

[robpal]

Murray joins Djokovic, Federer in Basel field

BASEL, Switzerland — World number three Andy Murray will take a wild card entry into next week's ATP Swiss Indoors where he joins world number one Novak Djokovic and home hero Roger Federer, Swiss media reported on Thursday.

The Scot is on a hot streak of form having won three titles in a row this month in Asia -- Bangkok, Tokyo and Shanghai.

Other top 10 additions to begin play on Monday at the St Jakobshalle include number seven Czech Tomas Berdych and eighth-ranked American Mardy Fish.

Murray passed Federer for third in the world after winning the Shanghai Masters.

Djokovic arrived in Basel on Wednesday and was hitting with Federer at a local sports club 24 hours later.

The Serb world number one has not competed since a back injury flared during the Davis Cup semi-final against Argentina in September.

Federer will be making his first start since leading Switzerland past Australia and into the Davis Cup World Group in Sydney.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... b54ada7.11

[Joao]

Andy Murray takes on Robin Haase in the Swiss Indoors first round



Britain's Andy Murray will take on Dutchman Robin Haase in the first round of the Swiss Indoors in Basle.

Murray, who is on a 15-match winning streak, is chasing a fourth straight title after taking a wildcard to compete in the tournament.

The Scot, 24, will line up alongside world number one Novak Djokovic and defending champion Roger Federer, now ranked below Murray at number four.

Murray has also signed up to play in the doubles with his brother Jamie.

World number three Murray has chosen to play in Basle over Valencia, where he was champion two years ago.

The Scot will be confident of adding to the titles he recently won in Bangkok, Tokyo and Shanghai, which enabled him to climb above Federer in the rankings.

Murray, who also won the Cincinnati Masters title in August, has only suffered one defeat in his last 26 matches - that came against Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of the US Open.

Djokovic will make his return to action for the first time since suffering a back injury in the Davis Cup last month when he takes on Belgian Xavier Malisse on Tuesday.

The Serbian has only lost three matches - two of them injury retirements - in an astonishing year that has seen him win the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

The second of those defeats was to Murray in the Cincinnati final in August.

"The injury is never welcome... but it came in the right moment, let's say," said Djokovic. "It gave me a little more time to rest and recover. I think it was the longest (break) I had in the last four or five years."

Federer, who has Murray in his half of the draw, starts his campaign for a fifth Basle title in six years against Italian Potito Starace on Monday.

The tournament is another chance for players to try to secure the last three spots in the eight-man ATP World Tour Finals, starting in London on 20 November.

Mardy Fish, the fifth seed, needs a good week after Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won the Erste Bank Open in Vienna on Sunday to leapfrog the American into seventh place on the list, while Serbia's Janko Tipsaravic, the sixth seed, has an outside chance of qualifying for London after reaching the final of the St Petersburg Open

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/15486153.stm

[Ranger]

Murray Eying More Silverware



World No. 3 Andy Murray goes into this week’s Swiss Indoors Basel on a red-hot 15-match winning streak and has set his sights on more silverware at the close 2011. The Scot is bidding to cap his career-best season with a Top 3 finish and victory at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London in three weeks’ time.

The 24-year-old Murray has reached at least the semi-finals at all four majors this year, including a runner-up showing at the Australian Open (l. to Djokovic), and has won five ATP World Tour titles, adding to his Queen’s Club and Cincinnati triumphs with a hat-trick of titles during the Asian swing this month.

"My goal at the start of the year was to try and finish No. 1; that wasn’t possible for me after the US Open," explained Murray. "So I think it made sense for the past two or three months to set some goals and I’ve never finished above No. 4 so if I could finish this year at No. 3 that would be a progression for me and that was something I set myself to do.

"It’s not the ultimate goal, I can’t pretend it means everything to me, but for the past two or three months I wanted to set some goals and I wanted to win at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and finish No. 3 or No. 2 in the rankings if I could."

Murray has been one of the most in-form players in the past three months, a spell that has seen him win 26 of 27 matches and overtake Roger Federer at World No. 3 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings. After a two-week break following his exploits in Asia, Murray returns to action this week for his second appearance in Basel and insists he has plenty left in th

e tank for the final three tournaments of the season.

"Someone like Novak [Djokovic] will tell you, when you’ve got momentum you want to keep playing," said Murray. "Right now I feel better than I did at this stage last year. My body has held up better and that’s something that I need to try and keep going for the next few years because it’ll hopefully add a year or two onto the end of my career if I can look after my body well like someone like Roger [Federer] has done.

"I’ve played well. At this stage of the season everybody has niggles and things you have to stay on top of, so you can’t expect to be 100 per cent fit. But I played some more matches out in Asia and that always helps when you’re match fit."

Źródło: http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... rware.aspx