Andy Murray’s epic journey to the top
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If there was any doubt about Britain’s Andy Murray being the best Men’s player in the world, it was laid to rest when he beat Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in London last week, in the finals of the 2016 ATP Masters. Djokovic has had an iron grip on the game until 2016, dominating players such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – two of the legends of modern Tennis. Murray’s feat was not easy, to be the last man standing in the year-end Master’s which accommodates only the Top 8. His focus, hard work, dedication and creative Tennis have finally rewarded him.
Canny anticipation
There are some aspects of Murray that have matured. It is difficult to see them at a glance but, in one instance, it became clear, when he hit a clean passing shot off what was considered to be a clear winner from Nishikori. All good players have good ‘anticipation’ and, in Murray’s case, it has become ‘canny’. After Murray’s passing shot, the commentator, quite rightly, said he had no business to reach that winner and none whatsoever, to play a backhand passing shot from that far out of the court. Murray’s court orientation must be highly developed to have achieved this reaction within a blink of an eye.
At 29, Murray’s game is polished in every salient aspect of Tennis. Today, he is an all-court player, an undeniable requirement to be the ‘king’ in this game, and rock solid in all of them.
Tough Matches
In the Round-Robin stage of the Master’s, Murray was stretched to a three-setter by Japan’s Nishikori, and it was the longest match in the Round-Robin. Then, in the semifinal, Canadian Milos Raonic was at the brink of beating Murray, with a match point at 9/8 in the final set tiebreak. Murray was that close to being beaten, but survived stubbornly. It was the longest match of the event and both played at the highest level, producing spectacular Tennis.
The final was against Djokovic – the man who is challenging Murray for the No.1 slot. Murray had an ‘iron grip’ on the match and beat him in straight sets. Of the two, it was Murray who has had more mileage and time on the court in the Master’s week. It was a tough week and gave the signal that 2017 will be Murray’s year.
Enduring road
The nature of Tennis is such that it does not permit maturity to come easily. This individual game grows only when the mind and body supplement each other. Putting these two aspects together is by no means easy, and it is one tough thing to do in sport. Murray is 29 now and his carrier as a professional began a little over a decade ago. At that time, Britain was not in the elite Tennis picture and often had to be reminiscent and be content with their Tennis history. Murray’s ranking history shows the hard road he has travelled. For a long while, he was considered a ‘goner’ and was praised only seldom, when he won. In a man, it takes a lot of character to silence critics and believe in one’s own conviction and stay on the road. Today, one could say that Andy Murray is one such man.
Lendl, Chang, McEnroe, Becker
It could well be that, a few decades ago, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Michael Chang and Boris Becker would have played in the semifinals of the ATP Master’s. This year, they turned out to be the coaches of the four semifinalists. Becker coaches Djokovic, Chang is with Nishikori, McEnroe is with Raonic and Lendl is with Murray. This is proof that past players are the best coaches.
It is a teacher’s job to teach strokes and a trainer’s job to introduce the mechanics, and only a past player can ‘coach’ match tactics and strategy. In every sport this holds true and, unfortunately, many talented players are vanishing due to ignoring this cardinal rule. In Tennis, neglect of this aspect is now overwhelming in many countries and will have a disastrous effect well within a decade. It is not by chance but, by good design that the four semifinalists had past players as their coaches.
Change of climate
The Top 8 in London were enjoying being treated like rock stars when they walked in to play their matches. It is a contrast to the Wimbledon atmosphere of ‘pin-drop’ silence and deep seated concentration to get on to the starting blocks, to perform at 100%.
One of the recent inclusions in sport is the ‘fan entertainment’ aspect. With TV taking the action ino homes, spectator attendance has shown a distinct decline around the stadium courts. Even in match scheduling, it seemed that the global audience gets priority over local attendance. The second semifinal of the ATP Master’s between Nishikori and Djokovic began at 9 pm. This, I believe, is to accommodate US prime time TV viewers.
Walking a long and winding road, with ups and downs, Andy Murray has achieved his dream of being the best in the world, and one has nothing but praise for his tenacity and courage.
-George Paldano, Former intl. player; Accredited Coach of Germany; National, Davis-Cup, Federation Cup captain/coach– georgepaldano@yahoo.com