Sir Andy Murray

[Joao]

Andy Murray: Can He Pull a 'Novak Djokovic' in 2012?

By Anders H

The two friends Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic used to share the pain of playing second fiddle to two of the greatest players ever to grace the game, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Not so anymore.

King Djokovic has usurped both Federer and Nadal and sits alone at the top of men's tennis.

Meanwhile, Andy Murray just won his third title of the year in Bangkok, routing American Donald Young in the final, but still remains the world No. 4.

While Djokovic has had a year for the ages, Murray has put together a decent year on his own. For instance, he's had his strongest year in the Grand Slams ever having lost three semifinals to Rafael Nadal and one final to Novak Djokovic.

Compared to Djokovic however, this looks mediocre.

The 24-year-old Brit is routinely called "the best man never to win a slam." Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have all said that it is only a matter of time before Murray wins a slam, as he's too good not to.

At 24, Murray should be at his physical peak. The problem for Murray is that winning a slam doesn't happen without beating Djokovic, Nadal or Federer and most often two of them.

The second problem is that the big four from time to time looks more like the big two or even just the big one. Murray hasn't played Federer this year, trails Djokovic 1-2 (winning while Djokovic retired) and has lost all four matches against Nadal this year, three of them in a slam semifinal.

But the issue here is not merely winning one slam, hard as it can be.

It is whether Andy Murray can transform himself from a serious contender to a favourite—or make the leap from being a steady top-four player to the best or second best player in the world (i.e. I'm not asking whether he can pull a 64-3 season, but whether he can take his game to the next level).

At the end of last season, everything seemed almost as it has been for the greater part of the last decade. Nadal had had a superb stretch from April to October, winning everything that mattered, while Federer had won the Australian Open and the world tour finals.

In other words, Fedal had shared the five most important titles between them and when asked post the world tour finals whether the difference between Nadal and Federer versus the rest had increased, Federer answered, "possibly."

Prior to the US Open, I read this Shark bite that shows how Novak Djokovic has improved in every single category from 2010 to 2011.

Andy Murray neither has a semifinal win over Federer (or Nadal for that matter, he seems destined only to meet Federer in the final) nor an upcoming Davis Cup final that can propel him forward like it apparently did to Djokovic.

What he does have is the opportunity to finish third in the year-end-ranking for the first time ever, which should give him a confidence boost. And if he can either manage to win the WTF or score a big semifinal win (and not go down meekly in the final) that could act as the necessary confidence boost.

What he shares with Djokovic 2010 stats-wise is a glaring inability to hold serve as often as can be desired. That and a world class return-game.

To be specific, Murray ranks in the top four of every return game category from first and second serve points won over break points converted to the most important one: return games won.

Here, he's third after Djokovic and Rafa, but winning the same percentage as Rafa (both 36 percent vs Djokovic's 41 percent. Djokovic 'only' won 34 percent in 2010).

Winning a decent amount of return games will only help you if you can win on your own serve as well. And in this aspect, Murray is not a world class player. Nor was Djokovic in 2010.

Murray ranks 12th on the most aces list, just behind Federer, which shows that his serve in principal is a world class shot. But his first serve percentage, 59 percent, is only good enough for the 40th position on the ATP rank (Nadal at 67 percent, Djokovic at 66 and Federer at 64 are all in the top-12).

At 74 percent, he's a decent No. 20 with regards to first serve points won (Djoko is 19th and Nadal is 24th, while Federer is 1st). However, he's an awful 47th with 49 percent won on second serve (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic tops the list with 57, 56, 56 percent respectively).

This stat wouldn't so as bad, if he had a higher first serve percentage. But given the fact that he's already got a low first serve percentage, his second serve is simply not good enough.

This shows in service games won, where he's 28th at 79 percent (Federer is 2nd (89 percent), Djokovic is 6th (87 percent) and Nadal is 16th (83 percent).

Now, while those numbers aren't good enough, they're not that far off Djokovic' 2010 stats. First serve points won: Murray 74 percent vs Djokovic 70 percent. Second serve: 49 vs. 50 percent. Service games won: 79 vs 80 percent.

Is there anything intrinsically preventing Murray from having a better second serve and a higher first serve percentage? By all means: no. At 6'3, he's the tallest member of the big four, which should aid him. And as we've seen, he's equal with Federer ace-wise.

Murray needs to take a good and long look at getting that first serve in more often and getting the second in with more bite.

So, if Murray can raise this one stat, service games held, in a similar fashion as Djokovic has done, will he have a Djokovic 2011 year?

Not necessarily, as there are many more intangibles in tennis than one single element. For starters, Murray is the least aggressive of the big four and often comes up short when he faces them precisely for that reason.

He's got by far the worst forehand of the big four. But he can hit it big and could conceivably train himself to do so more often. If we again compare with Djokovic 2010, his forehand wasn't as big as it's been this year (though still better than Murray's).

While Djokovic has always been the more offensive of the two, he's certainly become even more so this year. Can't Murray follow his lead?

Finally, Murray is often, rightfully, criticized for his bad temper, body language and resulting lack of belief and fight. Again, Djokovic was no role model in this respect (he is now), but there are signs that Murray is aware of the problem and is trying to deal with it.

Andy Murray is in his physical prime and he is an immensely talented tennis player. If he can get his head straight, his first serve in, improve his second serve and go for his shots when playing the big-three, there's no reason for him to continue to be known as "the best man never to win a slam."

The multi-slam potential is there. It's about time to release it and challenge Djokovic and Nadal for the top rankings.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/8780 ... ic-in-2012

[Sempere]

Murray continues top form in Tokyo



Andy Murray produced a composed performance to defeat David Nalbandian in straight sets and reach the semi-finals of ATP Tokyo.

Murray won 6-4 7-5 to set up a last-four match against third seed David Ferrer, who beat seventh seed Radek Stepanek 6-2 7-6(3).

The Scot has now won 19 of his last 20 matches.

Murray had won three of his five previous meetings with Nalbandian, No.64 in the world, including a last-32 win in this year's Cincinnati Masters.

The Argentine, whose ranking peaked at No.3 in 2006, sought to attack the Scot throughout but was undone by his relative lack of accuracy.

The first four games went with serve, although Murray was forced to come from 0-30 down to level at 2-2 - dominating the points with his serve after Nalbandian's eye-catching attack at the net won him the first point via the netcord and he was gifted the second by a double-fault.

Murray's resolve remained strong in the next game, breaking for the first time when Nalbandian double-faulted on the second break point.

The world No.4 confirmed it with a steady hold, wearing down his opponent from the baseline and adding a scintillating backhand winner up the line. Nalbandian then fought tooth-and-nail to save the double-break and improved the accuracy and variety of his strokeplay, but was unable to threat the Murray serve again as the set went the way of the Scot.

Murray's superb defence was causing Nalbandian problems late in rallies so he often looked to come in close from awkward positions, leading to mistakes. However his first-serve percentage was far superior to that of Murray throughout the match and this allowed him to hold his first three service games of the second set to keep it on serve.

Murray's imposing 6'3" frame continued to send aces past his 5'11" rival, but there were moments of frustration following his occasional unforced errors and on more than one occasion had to catch hold of himself before he smashed his racquet.

He broke for a 4-3 lead when Nalbandian hit a poor shot into the net on the second of three break points, but the Cordoba native broke straight back thanks to Murray's mistakes. The Briton produced the shot of the match in that game when scampering to retrieve a drop shot: at full-stretch, he flicked it across court in front of Nalbandian and on to the sideline.

Nalbandian left alone a Murray pass which dropped in to give the Scot a break chance; he took it after firing a flurry of vicious forehands at his opponent, who had arrived at the net. Serving for the match, Murray then produced some of his best and worst tennis as he again lost a crucial service game - despite holding match point - to give Nalbandian a lifeline.

The Argentine could not make the most of it as Murray regained the composure which he had exhibited throughout the majority of the contest to give the match a fifth straight break. And the second seed this time served it out, converting his second match point and first of three in the ultimate game.

Murray is now 48/11 in wins/losses for 2011 ahead of his meeting with Ferrer, while Nalbandian falls to 19/11.

Top seed Rafael Nadal will face Mardy Fish in the other semi-final after they beat Santiago Giraldo and Bernard Tomic respectively.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/07102011/ ... tokyo.html

[sheva]

Andy Murray eye on Roger Federer’s Rank



The World No. 4th ranked Andy Murray of Great Britain, who has been looking to surpass 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer No. 3 position in the ATP Rankings this year.

The three-time Grand Slam finalist Murray has won his 19th career ATP title last week in Bangkok, where he has overcome against Donald Young of Untied States in the final in straight sets with a 6-2 and 6-0. The Scot has bagged third ATP title of the season and getting closer to surpass Federer in the ATP Rankings. Murray has showed his best performance in all Grand Slam tournaments this year, as he reached final at Australian Open and semi finals at French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.

The 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has fall down from No. 1 position to No. 3 spot this year, where he also not won a single major title in 2011. The World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have been increasing their game level, while Serbian has bagged three major titles at Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open.

The 25-year-old Murray said he has been playing good at the moment, where he has reached quarter finals of the 2011 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis tournament and will face David Nalbandian of Argentina on Friday 7th October. Murray is just behind 965 points in the ATP Rankings to surpass Roger Federer and climb to No. 3 position. The Scot will play his next tournament at 2011 Shanghai Masters tournament in Beijing, which will begin on 9th October, 2011.

http://www.livetennisguide.com/2011/10/ ... rers-rank/

[Ranger]

#20) Tokio 2011:



R32 Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 7/6, 2/6, 6/4
R16 Alex Bogomolov Jr. (USA) 6/1, 6/2
Q David Nalbandian (ARG) 6/4, 7/5
S David Ferrer (SPA) 6/2, 6/3
F Rafael Nadal (SPA) 3/6, 6/2, 6/0

[DUN I LOVE]

Znakomita forma Szkota. W całym sezonie Murray pokazuje coraz więcej ze swojego dużego potencjału, mam nadzieję, że wkrótce zaowocuje to tytułem wielkoszlemowym.

[sheva]

Murray stuns Nadal then wins doubles in Tokyo



Andy Murray came from a set down to destroy Rafael Nadal 3-6 6-2 6-0 in the final of the Japan Open in Tokyo.


The Briton, who lost to Nadal in three Grand Slam semi-finals this year, produced a stunning riposte after making a nervous start, dropping just four points in the final set to claim his 20th career title.

Murray then completed a perfect weekend by winning the doubles tournament with brother Jamie with a 6-1 6-4 success over Frantisek Cermak and Filip Polasek.

In doing so he became the first player this season to win a singles and doubles title at the same event on the ATP Tour

In the singles final, Murray lost his opening service game of the match after failing to land a succession of first serves, but a change of shirt and racquet at the end of the opening set heralded a reversal of fortunes.

The world number four returned to the form that saw him breeze past David Ferrer in the semi-finals, and began to soak up the Spaniard's ground strokes while hitting clean winners of his own.

Murray broke, then came back from 0-40 on his own serve to confirm the break, before getting the better of the Nadal serve yet again to level the match.

Thereafter it was one-way traffic, as Murray breezed to victory winning 24 of 28 points in a laughably easy final set, which will send the world number four into the Shanghai Masters on a high.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/09102011/ ... tokyo.html

[robpal]

In-form Murray Triumphs Over Nadal


Andy Murray recorded just his fifth win in 18 meetings with Rafael Nadal.

World No. 4 Andy Murray continued his hot run of form on Sunday as he produced a blistering display in the final two sets to defeat defending champion Rafael Nadal 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 in the final of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo.

The 24-year-old Murray then became the first double winner on the ATP World Tour this season when he and brother, Jamie Murray, defeated fourth seeds Frantisek Cermak and Filip Polasek in the doubles final.

The Scot has won 21 of his past 22 matches, taking in titles at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati (d. Djokovic) in August, the PTT Thailand Open in Bangkok (d. Young) last week, and now at the ATP World Tour 500 hard-court tournament in Tokyo. His only loss in that period came against Nadal in the US Open semi-finals.

Having also triumphed at the AEGON Championships in London in June (d. Tsonga), Murray becomes the third player this season to win at least four ATP World Tour titles, joining Novak Djokovic (10) and Robin Soderling (four).

“I’ve played well in the last few months in Cincinnati and then the US Open. I need to carry on that form in Shanghai,” said Murray, who has set himself the goal of surpassing Roger Federer at World No. 3 in the year-end South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings. “I need to keep up the wins and hopefully I’ll get to the No. 3 ranking. It’s not the ultimate goal, but it’s the target I set for the last few tournaments this year.”

Murray made a slow start to his 18th contest with Nadal, dropping his opening service game with a groundstroke error. The Scot began to settle into the match, though, and had Nadal under pressure in the seventh game before the Spaniard held on to close out the one-set lead.

The second-seeded Murray broke through the Spaniard’s defences in the fourth game of the second set, persevering to convert his third break point chance as Nadal hit wide. The Scot then rescued a 0/40 situation in the following game with three straight aces, before saving a fourth break point with a forehand winner and holding for a 4-1 lead. With the momentum growing, Murray broke Nadal again in the eighth game to level the match.

Murray hailed the third set as one of the best he has played against Nadal, whom he lost to in the semi-finals at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open this year. The Dunblane native allowed Nadal just four points as he battered the Spaniard with controlled aggression and potent backhands, racing through the set with three service breaks to clinch victory in two hours and 16 minutes. It was just his fifth win over Nadal.

“I played some great tennis, especially in the third set,” said Murray. “There was a lot of close games towards the end of the first set and beginning of the second and I managed to get the momentum and didn’t give him many chances after that. For sure in the third set it was some of the best tennis I’ve played against him. I was very consistent, didn’t make too many mistakes and kept a cool head in the important moments.”

World No. 2 Nadal, who defeated Gael Monfils in the 2010 Tokyo final, was contesting his 10th tour-level final of the season and the 66th of his career; he dropped to a 46-20 mark. All his other final defeats this year have come at the hands of Djokovic, including in the Wimbledon and US Open title matches. The Mallorcan was bidding to win his first trophy since clinching a record-equalling sixth Roland Garros crown at the start of June.

“He played unbelievable, he didn’t make any mistakes in the third set,” said Nadal. “He played very aggressive and made no mistakes. When you are playing someone at that level, the only way is to try and get more free points on serve and for me it was impossible today because his return was very impressive.”

Nadal and Murray will be the top two seeds at the Shanghai Rolex Masters next week. Both have already qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London in November.

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

[Ranger]

Murray Completes Tokyo Double

Andy Murray became the first player this year to win the singles and doubles titles at an ATP World Tour event when he and brother, Jamie Murray, defeated fourth seeds Frantisek Cermak and Filip Polasek 6-1, 6-4 in the final of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo.

Earlier in the day the Scot had beaten Rafael Nadal in the singles final. It is the first time in his career he has reached the singles and doubles finals at the same ATP World Tour event.

The Murrays clinched their second ATP World Tour doubles title together, having also triumphed at the 2010 Valencia Open 500 (d. Bhupathi-Mirnyi). They reached their first final at the 2006 PTT Thailand Open in Bangkok (l. to Erlich-Ram).

The Murray brothers dominated the 58-minute final in Tokyo and only dropped eight points on serve throughout. They broke serve twice to clinch the first set and broke through once again in the seventh game of the second set.

Victory marked two titles in three tournaments for Jamie Murray, who also won the Moselle Open title two weeks ago in Metz with Andre Sa. The 25 year old improved to a 7-4 mark in ATP World Tour doubles finals.

Cermak and Polasek dropped to a 2-3 finals record together. The Czech-Slovakian duo was also beaten in the final of the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur 2011 last week (l. to Butorac-Rojer). Their two titles came earlier in the year at the Serbia Open 2011 (d. Marach-Peya) and the Crédit Agricole Suisse Open Gstaad (d. Kas-Peya).

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

[sheva]

Murray ogrywa Nadala. Drugi tytuł w tydzień



W pojedynku dwóch najwyżej rozstawionych tenisistów Szkot Andy Murray (nr 2.) pokonał Hiszpana Rafaela Nadala (1.) 3:6, 6:2, 6:0 w finale turnieju ATP Tour na twardych kortach w Tokio (z pulą nagród 1 214 500 dol.). Mecz trwał dwie godziny i 16 minut.

Było to 18. spotkanie tych tenisistów, a dopiero po raz piąty lepszy okazał się Murray.

To czwarty w tym sezonie tytuł 24-letniego Brytyjczyka, który przed tygodniem był najlepszy w Bangkoku, a wcześniej również na trawie w londyńskim Queen's Clubie i turnieju ATP Masters 1000 w Cincinnati. W niedzielę odnotował 20. zwycięstwo w karierze.

W Tokio Murray wzbogacił stan swojego konta o sumę 295 tysięcy dolarów oraz zdobył 500 punktów do rankingu ATP World Tour, w którym zajmuje czwarte miejsce. Jego finałowy rywal zarobił 133 tys. dol. i 300 pkt.

25-letni Hiszpan, aktualny wicelider klasyfikacji tenisistów, nie zdołał obronić tytułu wywalczonego przed rokiem w stolicy Japonii. Poniósł 12. porażkę w sezonie, w którym wygrał już 65 meczów i po raz dziesiąty dotarł do finału.

Dotychczas triumfował w tym roku trzykrotnie, za każdym razem na nawierzchni ziemnej: w wielkoszlemowym Roland Garros, imprezie ATP Masters 1000 w Monte Carlo oraz turnieju ATP w Barcelonie.

W Tokio wystąpił Łukasz Kubot, który w pierwszej rundzie poniósł we wtorek porażkę z Łotyszem Ernestsem Gulbisem 3:6, 6:3, 5:7. W grze podwójnej, razem z Czechem Radkiem Stepankiem, dotarł do półfinału, gdzie lepsi okazali się Brazylijczycy Marcelo Melo i Bruno Soares.

Wynik finału:

Andy Murray (W.Brytania, 2) - Rafael Nadal (Hiszpania, 1) 3:6, 6:2, 6:0.

http://www.eurosport.pl/tenis/rakuten-j ... tory.shtml

[Art]

ATP Tokio: Dwudziesty triumf Murraya

Andy Murray (ATP 4) przerwał passę pięciu porażek z rzędu z Rafaelem Nadalem (ATP 2) i pokonał 3:6, 6:2, 6:0 obrońcę tytułu w finale turnieju w Tokio (o puli 1,10 mln dolarów). Szkot odniósł czwarty triumf w sezonie.


Andy Murray, 24 lata, trzykrotny finalista wielkoszlemowy (foto EPA)

I set nie zapowiadał takiego przebiegu spotkania. Hiszpan grał pewnie, dobrze funkcjonowało zarówno podanie, jak i forhend, którym raził rywala. Murray raz przegrał własny serwis, co zaowocowało porażką w secie 3:6. II set to zamiana ról. Nadal grał pasywnie i niepewnie (wygrał zaledwie 7 punktów na 20 po trafionym pierwszym serwisie), Murray za to złapał wiatr w żagle i agresywnymi zagraniami zaczął rozprowadzać rywala po korcie i wygrał partię 6:2. Decydująca odsłona to absolutna dominacja świetnie grającego Murraya i bezradność wicelidera rankingu. W całym secie Nadal wygrał tylko cztery punkty ( w tym ani jednego po celnym pierwszym podaniu), a Szkot bezlitośnie kończył wszystkie krótkie piłki Hiszpana, wygrywając 6:0.

Było to piąte zwycięstwo Murraya nad Nadalem w 18 spotkaniach i pierwsze w tym roku. Za wygraną w Tokio Szkot otrzymał czek na ponad 295 tysięcy dolarów i 500 punktów do rankingu ATP. - Od turnieju w Cincinnati prezentuję się naprawdę dobrze, muszę utrzymać formę do turnieju w Szanghaju. Dzisiaj grałem świetnie, zwłaszcza w III secie. W I partii było dużo wyrównanych gemów, ale na początku II seta przejąłem inicjatywę i od tego momentu dominowałem. Ostatni set to chyba najlepszy tenis, jaki kiedykolwiek zagrałem przeciwko Nadalowi. Byłem regularny, nie popełniałem błędów i zachowywałem zimną krew w decydujących momentach - powiedział po meczu zwycięzca imprezy.

Po finale gry pojedynczej, Andy Murray wystąpił także w finale rozgrywek deblistów, gdzie w parze z bratem, Jamiem, pokonali 6:1, 6:4 czesko-słowacki duet František Čermák/Filip Polášek. Był to drugi tytuł deblowy młodszego z braci Murrayów.

http://www.sportowefakty.pl/tenis/2011/ ... f-murraya/

[sheva]

Red-hot Murray heads to Shanghai



World No. 4 Andy Murray will make an immediate return to hard-court action, as the ATP World Tour moves to Shanghai for the second week of October. The Scot enters the Masters 1000 draw seeded second.

World No. 4 Andy Murray makes his return to competition following a title-winning run in Tokyo. The 24-year-old improved his season record to 50-11 after rallying to defeat world No. 2 Rafael Nadal for the championship. He has won 21 of his last 22 matches, which includes a successful effort in Bangkok.

Murray has been placed in competitive quarter of the draw that includes (8) Gilles Simon, (11) Viktor Troicki and (13) Stanislas Wawrinka. Additional players in the section are Albert Montanes, Matthew Ebden, Ryan Harrison, Donald Young and Thomaz Bellucci.

The Scot is scheduled to begin his run against either Bellucci or Dmitry Tursunov in the opening round. The closest seed to Murray is Wawrinka, who looms as a possible round of 16 opponent.

Successful movement through the draw may set a quarterfinal clash with David Ferrer or Andy Roddick.

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

[robpal]

SHANGHAI ROLEX MASTERS 2011 - Murray Primed For Asian Swing Hattrick


Andy Murray unveiled a terracotta statue of himself on Tuesday.

World No. 4 Andy Murray appears at the Shanghai Rolex Masters in search of a third straight ATP World Tour title on the Asian swing.

" went into this stretch with the right mindset," said Murray, who has lifted silverware at the PTT Thailand Open (d. Young) and the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships (d. Nadal).

"After the US Open finished, sat down [and] kind of made some goals between now and the end of the year. gave myself that extra little motivation, that extra little push for the last few tournaments."

Murray has won 21 of his past 22 matches and is vying to lift his fifth ATP World Tour trophy of the year, which will further boost his chances of finishing No. 3 in the year-end South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings.

"I didn't really play less than the year before, I just didn't win very much," said Murray. "But I feel better. I've been doing things more professionally this year. I've been looking after my body better. I've taken necessary breaks. I've just been trying to pace myself a bit better, and that's definitely helped."

Last week, at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, Murray won both the singles and doubles titles. He admits he may never again repeat his third-set performance against Nadal.

"It happens sometimes when you're playing right at the top of a sport," said Murray, who beat Nadal 3-6, 6-2, 6-0. "A few per cent difference here or there. I mean, what happened in the third set, it probably never happened to him before, and I'll probably never play a set of tennis again like that on the tour. It's just one of those sets where I hardly missed a ball.

"I wish it happened every day, but the reality is it's not going to be like that."

The 24-year-old Murray will be looking to win his eighth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Shanghai. He has a 50-11 match record on the season and meets Dmitry Tursunov in the first round.

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

[sheva]

No major, no problem for Andy Murray

There probably was much weeping and gnashing of teeth in Shanghai the other day, when ATP No. 1 Novak Djokovic declared that he's taking a pass on the event to further rest the back. Roger Federer is bypassing this Masters 1000 tournament as well. He's No. 3 but not quite as keen on touring Asia in the fall now that he's turned 30 (been there, done that) and is a papa with twin toddler daughters.

Given the premium put on (top) player participation at any tournament (it's the baseline for the significance of the event), and the fact that the ATP presently is ruled by a quartet (the aforementioned players, along with No. 2 Rafael Nadal and No. 4 Andy Murray), you could say that Shanghai is operating at less than 50 percent of its potential horsepower, which undermines the idea behind the Masters Series.

Let's face it, Shanghai is not much stronger than the ATP 500 event that just ended in Tokyo, and it could very well cough up the same two finalists -- Nadal and Murray. They're seeded Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. That's a bummer for Shanghai -- or it was until just two days ago, when Murray upset Nadal in the final of Tokyo.

Murray has had any number of problems in his career, starting with some rotten luck -- and form -- in Grand Slam finals. He's played for three major championships and walked away empty-handed each time. And if anything, he's played worse in each successive one; he lost to Federer in two finals (U.S. Open of 2008 and Australian Open of 2010), both times without winning a set. And Djokovic demolished Murray in similar fashion in Melbourne to start this year.

Over time, Murray also had developed a pretty significant Nadal problem, which is why his win in Tokyo looks so big -- and injects much-needed hype into the Shanghai Masters. Nadal took the measure of Murray, who's almost a full year younger, in their first five meetings, but Murray cracked the Rafa code in the semis of the U.S. Open in 2008. Murray went 4-3 against Nadal afterward, which was all the more impressive because Nadal was arcing toward his peak.

But that period of genuine rivalry was short-lived. Nadal had won another five in a row going into the Tokyo final, including critical semifinal confrontations this year at all three majors after the Australian Open. Among the ruling ATP quartet, the most lopsided head-to-head is Nadal-Murray. Nadal led Murray 13-4 going into last week's tournament.

Had Nadal walked away the winner in Tokyo, Shanghai would be a whole lot less interesting. Murray, whose year has been wildly unpredictable, has threatened to make big moves before, only to come up a little short. He's had a lot of trouble breaking out of that No. 4 position; he hit No. 2 in August 2009 and No. 3 in February 2010 but spent a grand total of just five weeks up in those positions.

But in what may be a sign of the times, certainly as far as Federer's impact and future is concerned, Murray has a big lead over Federer in the telling year-to-date ranking (which is based on points earned this year, rather than on the rolling 52-week "official" ranking). Murray is the de facto No. 3 thus far in 2011 and likely to finish the year there.

He can do that without recording any more big wins over Nadal, but we know that Murray's goal is not to reclaim No. 3 in the world. He wants to win majors -- first and foremost. In order to do that, Murray will have to deal with his Nadal problem. He's won 21 of 22 matches since the middle of August, but the one he secured in Tokyo may be the most significant of them all.

Peter Bodo

http://espn.go.com/tennis/blog/_/name/b ... ndy-murray

[Samurray]

An interview with: ANDY MURRAY

Spoiler:

Q. Obviously you arrive here on the back of some tremendous form. Do you put it down to anything specific?

ANDY MURRAY: No, just been working hard. Yeah, went into this stretch with the right mindset. You know, after the US Open finished, sat down, kind of made some goals between now and the end of the year, gave myself that extra little motivation, that extra little push for the last few tournaments.


Q. Rafa came in a bit ago and said the proposed meetings probably weren't going to happen here he said because the time is not right and you need to find out more stuff. Do you go along with that theory?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I don't really want to go into much detail. Nothing really to say. The last time I did, it was turned into a massive like hoopla.

There's nothing to say. The players haven't met. The players will try and meet. When we do, you know, then I think it's really between the ATP and the ITF to try and come to an agreement. And until something's kind of done in writing or there's been any discussions, there's not really any point in saying anything because it just starts speculation.

There's no truth behind a lot of the things that are getting said. The players I think are maybe coming across as being spoilt when I don't think that is the case. That's all. That's it.


Q. You were reported as coming out with the word 'strike.' Was that exaggerated then?

ANDY MURRAY: Me and not any of the players I know want to strike. But when you're asked a question, 'Is there a possibility the players will strike,' and you say, 'Yeah, it's a possibility,' I don't expect that to be such a massive it's so far away from being at that level. The players haven't even sat down and spoke. So it's kind of a bit disappointing from my side.

I think the tour is in a great place just now. But it's basically just a matter of like two or three weeks in the year that really I think need to change. And it's not really a huge thing, but it's been made into like the biggest disaster in tennis. I don't think it needs to be.


Q. Do you have any idea when such a meeting could take place?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I don't really want to talk about it. It's the players' business just now of what they want done. It's not anyone else's business.

Until we sit down and discuss it and speak to the ATP and the ITF which, again, hasn't happened and the players don't even know what they want 'cause not everyone's sat down and discussed it, there's no point.

We'll try and set something up before the end of the year. Whether it happens or not, it's quite a tough thing to do 'cause there's a lot of players to coordinate and sometimes guys don't go to the same tournaments. Tennis players aren't always the easiest people to get hold of when they're not at tournaments.


Q. When you and Rafa said the long season needs to be cut shorter, can you talk about in your mind which part of the season needs to have a change? We're concerned the Asian season may be influenced by this.

ANDY MURRAY: I just think next year there's a couple more weeks in the off season, which is great. Then it's just a matter of one or two less mandatory events during the year. That's it. Doesn't really need to be a huge change in the calendar or huge change within tennis or the rankings or anything like that. It's just very small things that seem are so difficult to get done. I think sometimes the players find it difficult to understand why that is.


Q. Rafa talked about how he thought in Tokyo you played the best he's ever seen you play against him. On the other hand, that third set in particular he couldn't even hold serve. I was wondering what you saw in his game that might have been different? That's kind of unusual for him.

ANDY MURRAY: I don't think anything was that different in his game. He started the match very well. He broke me right at the beginning. After that, I played some great tennis.

It's happened the other way around when I played against him before: he's played great and I didn't quite play my best. It happens sometimes when you're playing right at the top of a sport. A few percent difference here or there. If I go up by 10%, he's not quite on his game...

I mean, what happened in the third set, it probably never happened to him before, and I'll probably never play a set of tennis again like that on the tour. I think I lost four or five points. That's probably not going to happen to me again. It's just one of those sets where I hardly missed a ball.

I wish it happened every day, but the reality is it's not going to be like that.


Q. Do you think one of the reasons why you're in such good form at the moment is because you played a bit less earlier in the year?

ANDY MURRAY: I didn't really play less than the year before. I just didn't win very much. So maybe it's to do with that. But I still played quite a lot of matches this year. I think I played now probably the same as Roger.

But I feel better. I've been doing things more professionally this year. I've been looking after my body better. I've taken necessary breaks. Like before I went over to Bangkok, I didn't start hitting balls again until the Saturday, and the tournament was starting on the Monday.

So I've just been trying to pace myself a bit better, and that's definitely helped.


Q. Apologize for going back to the talks saga. It was such a great tournament last year. Do you think the notable absences this year somehow give you all suggestions about talks extra resonance?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I mean, Roger's said he was I think he said he was fatigued, tired. Novak had a bad back. And, yeah, I don't know, it's happened a couple of times over here. I think it happened when the Masters Cup was here, 2005 maybe, where quite a few players didn't show up. I think Roger had a bad injury as well just before coming here.

So, you know, that's just kind of the nature of an individual sport. You never know. Like just because maybe sometimes it's not a top player in the world that might miss out, it might be three or four guys that are 20 or 30 in the world, if you get injured as an individual, then you can't show up, whereas with a team, if you're missing one player, the team can still go out and play. So I think it's kind of showing up a little bit more in tennis.

I think if there was a few extra weeks off, then that would help, a few less tournaments. But still the majority of the best players are here.


Q. I don't think it will make many headlines in China. Leon has been promoted at the LTA, performance director. Can you comment on that?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, surprising for sure. Pretty big role he's got now. I don't know exactly what his role will be in terms of the women's side. I don't know exactly what he'll be expected to do. I know he doesn't have much experience on the women's side, so I'm sure he'll have to make sure he employs the right people around him and get a good team in place that can help him.


Q. Andy Roddick yesterday was making some comparisons between the proportion of prize money that you get compared to, say, sports like golf and the NBA in the States, saying it was much smaller. I was wondering whether you have similar concerns, thinking from a British perspective how much the players on the tour compare to footballers?

ANDY MURRAY: I think going into earnings is silly because we make a lot of money and we're very lucky to be earning the money we do. I'm hoping most of the players love playing tennis, as well.

The one comparison I'd like to make, this is on a completely separate note, comparing golf and tennis, is that in tennis the ball situation is that we change balls every single week. If you asked a golfer to do that and change balls every single week, they'd be hitting balls 20 yards too far, you know, hitting shots all over the place I think.

The balls that we played with the last three weeks, every one of them is just completely different. I think that's something that I would like to see changed, to have more consistency in the balls. It's like playing a different game almost.

In terms of the earnings, I'm happy with the direction tennis is going. I think every year they're increasing the prize money. All the tournaments are trying to kind of keep up and compete with each other. So I think it's in a good place. Golf, players are incredibly fortunate, as well.

http://www.shanghairolexmasters.com/Eng ... 8/753.html

[sheva]

Temper expectations on Murray, Radwanska

By Ed McGrogan

In 2008, the Buffalo Bills, who haven't reached the NFL playoffs since 1999, won their first four games and five of their opening six. Like many fellow upstate New Yorkers, my thoughts went beyond making the postseason; I daydreamed how it would feel on Chippewa Street, Labatt Blue in one hand and beef on weck in the other, in the hours following Buffalo's long-awaited Super Bowl victory.

The Bills proceeded to lose eight of their final 10 games to miss the playoffs, leaving their die-hard fans blue and embarrassed. I got way too far ahead of myself, and as a result, I am taking the current Bills season one game at a time (Buffalo is off to a 4-1 start). It's advice the justifiably excited fan bases of Andy Murray and Agnieszka Radwanska should also consider.

Both players won back-to-back tournaments in Asia during the past two weeks -- Radwanska survived two strong fields in Tokyo and Beijing; Murray claimed his second straight title by defeating longtime conqueror Rafael Nadal. But this is not the first time Murray has tantalized us in the fall only to fall flat in the subsequent season's Slams (against Nadal, usually). For Radwanska, now back at her career-high ranking of No. 8, this is somewhat uncharted territory, which in my mind is even more reason for buyers to beware. Playing in the Far East, Murray and Radwanska may be close to Melbourne in proximity, but the Australian Open is a ways away on the calendar. The new year has a way of signaling a fresh start, both for those who ruled autumn and those who thought little of it (looking at you, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams).

We've seen similar surges before -- and the disappointments that followed -- and not just from the Slam-less Scot. David Nalbandian won the Madrid and Paris Masters events in late 2007 (beating Federer and Nadal in the finals, respectively), yet lost in the second round of the 2008 Australian Open, when the spotlight was most intense. Two years later, Nikolay Davydenko was all but the favorite Down Under, having won Shanghai and the ATP World Tour Finals to close 2009. He lost in Oz to Federer, who reached all four Grand Slam finals the previous year, something people seemed to forget.

As for the women, Caroline Wozniacki and Dinara Safina are fine examples of players who have been able to win everywhere but the majors. Radwanska is far less accomplished than the current and former No. 1, never having been past the quarterfinal of a Slam. After her latest title, Radwanska said she'll be focusing more on the Slams -- the four tournaments where you know you're getting the best effort from the best players. Not in Cincinnati (where Djokovic took a loss to Murray this year by retiring), not in Indian Wells (a tournament some top players grudgingly travel to), and certainly not in the fall, sometimes affectionately referred to as "appearance-fee season."

This isn't to say that Murray and Radwanska can't bridge post-U.S. Open success into major titles. Indeed, Marat Safin won Madrid and Paris in 2004, then took his prize-winning act to Melbourne, where he claimed his second major. But Safin already had tasted Slam success years earlier at the U.S. Open and reached No. 1. There is no doubt that Murray and Radwanska are headed in the right direction, but the path veers sharply at the Slams, and both players have proved they can't stay on course through seven rounds. We should temper our expectations accordingly. Should Murray add a Masters title or even the World Tour Finals to his fall haul, it would only strengthen his case as a contender in Melbourne. But even if he went unbeaten for the rest of the season, he shouldn't be called the favorite.

Personally, I don't think Radwanska's game is durable enough to win a major, but I'd be shocked if Murray ended his career with the same number of Slams as Tim Henman. Still, like many fellow Buffalo fans say about their Bills, I'll believe it when I see it.

http://espn.go.com/tennis/blog/_/name/t ... -radwanska

[Samurray]

An interview with: ANDY MURRAY

Spoiler:

13 October 2011 A. MURRAY/ S. Wawrinka (64, 36, 63)




Q. It was a tough match. You knew it was going to be a tough match. What did you have to do to win it?

ANDY MURRAY: Uhm, I mean, I got myself pumped up right at the beginning of the third set. I think it was important. Stan was playing very well. I was trying to control the ball. Especially middle of the second set, I was really struggling. Really had to make sure I got my feet moving.

I started dictating a lot of the points with my forehand and trying to get the first strike in 'cause the court is playing very fast. That worked well.

I served well for most of the match. It was just my timing was a bit off on some of my shots. Made a few mistakes in the second set.

But, I mean, the first set I was up 3 0, two breaks, pretty quickly, and I went up 5 0 in the third set. Both sets got a little bit closer than maybe they needed to be.

I thought for the first match, very different conditions, it was a good win because Stan played very well in the second and third sets.


Q. What do you know about your next opponent? Not too many of us know much about him.

ANDY MURRAY: I know quite a lot about him. He had a good start to the year. I think it was Brisbane or Sydney I watched him play a couple of good matches, a couple of good matches there. He qualified last week in Tokyo. I watched his match with Ferrer. Actually played a pretty good match. I think he hurt himself a little bit in the second set.

But I've seen him play a couple of times. He's got a nice game. You know, he's quite effortless. He's talented. It will be a tough match. He's obviously just coming off the best win of his career, so he'll be confident.


Q. Stan smashed his racquet twice. Do you have this kind of moment where you want to do a similar thing in your career?

ANDY MURRAY: I have broken racquets in the past, but I never, like, have done it quite like he did it today. It was a pretty big one. But sometimes it's better to do it than rather just sort of dropping your racquet two or three times a little bit. Sometimes it's better to let like one big burst of emotion out or aggression than kind of letting it linger on.

No, I haven't broken a racquet like that on the tour before.


Q. How are you doing energy wise? A long trip for you; lots of matches.

ANDY MURRAY: I feel fine. My legs and stuff were a wee bit tired at the end of the match. But I got like no stiffness at all in my body. My arm's been a bit sore the last few days. But it felt better today than it did a couple of days ago.

I mean, when I wake up in the morning, I'm tired when I wake up, but I'm feeling fine once I get going and get food down me and moving around, so that's good.


Q. You played three different Asian tournaments in three different countries. Can you talk about why you played in Tokyo instead of Beijing? Will you play in Tokyo again next year because you have to defend the title?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't have to defend the title. But the way I played in Beijing the two times I've been there would suggest it's not my best place to play. So I decided to go to Tokyo. I really like the conditions there.

You know, that's basically what you judge when you're deciding on your schedule, you try and pick the tournaments that suit you the best. And obviously I played well in Tokyo, so there's a good chance I'll go back there next year.


Q. One of the things that I certainly didn't know about your next opponent until I was told a few minutes ago is that he often fills in his time by writing poetry. Have you ever felt the need to exercise your muse?

ANDY MURRAY: I read poems sometimes. But I definitely haven't written any lately (smiling).


Q. Which poets are big on your list then?

ANDY MURRAY: I mean, it was actually last week I was reading a bit of Kipling, because they obviously have it just before you go out on the court at Wimbledon. When I read stuff, I find that, I don't know, I don't relate to it as much. But when I hear someone else saying it... I would rather watch a movie than read a book. So I was trying to watch some things on YouTube of a few poems.


Q. Very impressive.

ANDY MURRAY: Thank you.


Q. Dragging you down from the lofty heights of Kipling to balls.

ANDY MURRAY: I like talking about balls (smiling).


Q. Given what you were saying yesterday, how did you find it tonight, particularly under the roof?

ANDY MURRAY: The conditions?


Q. The balls.

ANDY MURRAY: The balls. They're fast. They're really fast. Yeah, I mean, if you're not quite in the right position and you're timing's a wee bit off, it's tough to control the ball.

I felt like I served really well with them. I was getting probably an extra five, ten kilometers an hour on my first serve. But from the back of the court, you really need to get yourself in good position, one, because the ball is fast and if your timing is off the ball will fly on you. Also because it's a quick court too, you can catch the ball late if you're not in the right position.

It's a combination of the balls and the surface, which is definitely faster than it was last year. Last year it felt much, much slower.


Q. I heard you singing before the press conference. What about singing?

ANDY MURRAY: You heard that? I didn't realize you could hear that. What did you think? How was it? Was it good, the singing?


Q. Maybe you can sing louder.

ANDY MURRAY: Not now, but maybe another time I'll do that.


Q. What kind of music do you like?

ANDY MURRAY: Honestly, literally everything. There's not one type of music I don't really listen to. I listen to everything.

http://www.shanghairolexmasters.com/Eng ... 8/807.html

[sheva]

Shanghai Masters - Murray ousts Ebden to reach semis



Andy Murray reached his 11th semi-final of the year with a 6-3 6-2 win over Matthew Ebden at the Shanghai Masters.

The defending champion and world number four overcame a spirited challenge from a man ranked 120 places below him in an hour and a half.

While Murray was in control throughout, there were some fine moments from the talented Ebden who, as a relatively late bloomer, should be expected to move close to the top 50 in the coming months.

The British number one will face surprise package Kei Nishikori in the semi-final on Friday after the Japanese surprised Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4 6-3.

Murray started slugglishly, losing four break points in one game as the first set went with serve, but he broke twice in a row at the end and, winning seven in a row at one point, pulled clear of the South African-born Australian.

"I felt really nervous, really weird, and I felt quite tense on the court, especially at the start of the match," the Scot said afterwards. "Sometimes it happens in matches when you don’t necessarily feel comfortable and, with the changes in conditions, I felt a bit tentative.

"I was hitting cleanly but it was going all over the baseline and I’ll try to improve for tomorrow."

Murray, who won in Tokyo last week and is overwhelming favourite following Rafael Nadal's defeat, has now won 23 of his last 24 matches.

He joked that the decision to stop using Twitter after losing to Rafael Nadal in the US Open semis had somehow contributed to his streak.

"Surprisingly I haven’t lost a match since I stopped tweeting after the US Open," Murray added, smiling.

"Sportspeople are pretty superstitious so I have decided to stick with it."

World number 47 Nishikori will finish the tournament as the highest-ever ranked tennis player from Japan after his win, which takes him to his first Masters Series semi-final and will see him reach at least 32nd on the ATP list.

The fast-moving 21-year-old made light of Dolgopolov's awkward style, saving six of seven break points, surviving a dozen aces and breaking his opponent three times in the second set, including a final-game love break to seal the win.

"It means a lot to play semis here. I'm really excited now. I started well today. I knew he's going to hit a lot of slice shots and I had to be careful," Nishikori, coached by Murray's former coach Brad Gilbert, said..

"It's been a great year for me. I will get to my highest ranking. To be the number one player in Japan means a lot to me. Now it's the semis here, one of biggest tournaments for me."

Reda Maher (on Twitter @Reda_Maher) / Eurosport

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/14102011/ ... semis.html

[Ranger]

In-Form Murray To Face Nishikori In SFs



Andy Murray remained on course to complete an Asian title treble on Friday, after the second seed beat Australian qualifier Matthew Ebden 6-3, 6-2 for a place in the Shanghai Rolex Masters semi-finals. "I created a lot of chances," said Murray. "I had game points in almost every one of his service games during the match. [But] I could have done with being a bit more clinical.

"I feel like I can play better. I served well so far. But I think I can hit the ball a bit better from the back of the court. And, like I said a few days ago, it's different conditions to the last couple of weeks. Maybe still adjusting a bit."

The match swung in Murray's favour at 2-3 in the first set, when he went onto win seven games in a row against Ebden, who is projected to rise from World No. 124 to around No. 80 in the South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings on Friday.

Ebden earned his first break point opportunity in the seventh game of the second set, but Murray fired down an ace. Murray hit seven aces in total and won 77 per cent of his service points for victory in 85 minutes at the Qi Zhong Stadium.

Murray is on a 13-match winning streak since losing in the US Open semi-finals (l. to Nadal). In recent weeks, he has lifted ATP World Tour trophies at the PTT Thailand Open in Bangkok (d. Young) and the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships (d. Nadal).

The 24-year-old Scot, who has already qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, added 180 South African Airways 2011 ATP Year-To-Date Rankings points and now has 6,560 total points, which is 1,375 points ahead of No. 4-ranked Swiss Roger Federer.

Murray has a 52-11 match record on the season and has won 23 of his past 24 matches since mid-August. He will be attempting to reach his sixth final of the year against Japan's Kei Nishikori on Saturday.

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

[Ranger]

An interview with: ANDY MURRAY

Spoiler:

Q. What was your verdict on the match, Andy?

14 October 2011 A. MURRAY / M. Ebden (6 3, 6 2)

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I created loads of chances. I thought I played better in the second set. I thought I hit the ball a bit better.

But, yeah, I got quite tense tonight compared with how I've been feeling for the last few weeks. I don't know exactly why that was. Sometimes that happens.

I just got out of the ice bath, sorry, I'm shivering a little bit.

But, no, I created a lot of chances. I had game points in almost every one of his service games during the match. I could have done with being a bit more clinical.

Q. Does knowing you're a hot favorite for the title now put extra pressure on you? You seem to have another gear to go into. Can you tell us about that.

ANDY MURRAY: I mean, there's still some very good players left in the tournament. So I just need to keep concentrating on the guys that are in front of me.

But, yeah, I mean, I feel like I can play better. I served well so far. But I think I can hit the ball a bit better from the back of the court. And, like I said a few days ago, it's different conditions to the last couple of weeks. Maybe still adjusting a bit.

Obviously, yesterday playing indoors, it's much hotter. Then today was obviously outdoors, and it was actually pretty cold on the court. So that made things a wee bit tricky.

But, yeah, I hope I can play better in the next match because I'll need to.

Q. Your next opponent is Nishikori, the first Asian player to reach a Masters semifinal. Any impression about him?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I know him quite well. I used to spend a bit of time at Bollettieri's training and he was always there. Yeah, I think he just got to the highest ranking of any Japanese player this week. So I'm sure he's playing a little bit looser since he managed to do that.

He's obviously playing well this week. He's had two very good wins the last couple of rounds, Tsonga and Dolgopolov. He's obviously playing well.

Q. Is he one of those players who could be a star of next season looking forward?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I think there's a few guys that are looking to kind of push on, move up the rankings. Guys like Raonic, Harrison, Dimitrov, Tomic. And, Kei, I think he was injured quite badly, maybe not last year but the year before. I don't know if he had a surgery or not. But he's come back well from it. He's playing good. Yeah, this has been a great week for him.

You never know what's going to happen. But he's going to be, I guess after this, maybe in the top 40 in the world. Maybe not so many points to defend at the start of the year so maybe it will give him a chance to get there.

Q. You're on quite a streak. There was an item on Sky News that you haven't lost since you started tweeting. Is there any correlation between the two?

ANDY MURRAY: I made a joke. Me winning matches and tweeting has nothing to do with that. But I said it as I got asked, You stopped tweeting, and since I stopped tweeting, I haven't lost a match. But it has no bearing on the result of any outcome of the matches. So it was meant to be a joke. If it's not been taken that way, then I'm sorry for whoever didn't take it the right way.

Q. There's a certain gentleman probably sitting beside a telephone in northern California who will be offering Kei advice. What do you think he'll be telling him?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I mean, the first time that happened to me was last week when I played against Baghdatis, where sort of an excoach was maybe helping.

I don't know how much Brad is helping Kei. I don't know how much time he's actually spending with him. But he has a coach here with him. So I don't know how the situation works.

But whatever Brad says, I learnt quite a lot from him, and hopefully I'll be able to use some of the things I learnt from him against Kei.

Q. Because you've become so used to still being at the back end of tournaments this year with Novak and Rafa and Roger, is it slightly an odd feeling, you and three others?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, it's different. Obviously two of them weren't here at the beginning of the week. I mean, that hasn't really changed. But obviously Rafa going out was a bit of a surprise. The surface really is a tough one for him here.

Yeah, I mean, Ferrer, he's No. 5 in the world. So let's not forget about him.

Źródło: http://www.shanghairolexmasters.com/Eng ... 8/838.html

[sheva]

Andy Murray Poised to Take No. 3 Ranking from Roger Federer: Does It Matter?



Roger Federer has dropped out of the most recent tournaments while Andy Murray has been winning several matches in them and taking the titles.

This has led to a massive point gain for Brit, and a loss for the Swiss, leading to the definite possibility that Murray will take Federer's No. 3 position in the rankings.

This begs the question, however, of just how significant the ranking is.

When Federer lost his No. 1 ranking to Nadal in 2008, it was a devastating blow. He was still behind Sampras' weeks at world No. 1 as well as in grand slam titles to his name, and Nadal had demonstrated that he had figured Federer's game out to the point where he could best him at the maestro's most treasured tournament.

It had more than just symbolic value; it was a changing of the guard.

This, however, is hardly analogous to that. Federer has fallen behind both Nadal and Djokovic, and has remained ensconced at the No. 3 position for some time, with no grand slam titles to his name.

When he lost the No. 1 ranking to Nadal, a battle still ensued between them for titles in the year to come; now the majors are split between Djokovic and Rafa.

Needless to say, taking the No. 3 ranking is hardly as significant as usurping the No. 1 position.

Rankings among the top four, in fact, are not of great importance, aside from being No. 1. Perhaps Federer is now more likely to face Nadal in the semifinals of grand slam events, but either way, he would likely have to defeat both Rafa and Djokovic in order to take another title.

Andy Murray taking Federer's spot has symbolic value in that the Brit is now ever closer to the top two players in the world. However, in order to truly be considered among the greatest he would have to win a grand slam title, which is of far more significance than a No. 3 ranking could ever have.

Look for it to perhaps signify a boost in confidence for the Brit but nothing more, as the hump of getting a grand slam title is still ever present in his career.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/8922 ... -it-matter