Alarm Bells are Ringing but is it a Full Blown Crisis?
The last few weeks were supposed to be full of opportunity to blog about Andy Murray’s ventures towards titles in both Miami and Monte Carlo however what actually transpired was a suggestion that Murray maybe facing the first crisis in his career. Admittedly he has had dips in form before now, as have all pro tennis players, but the manner in which he was dumped out of the first round of the Miami Masters (a title he was defending having won it last year) and the absolute mauling he received in Monte Carlo a few days ago seem to be indicating problems that run deeper than just a rough patch.
In both cases it seemed that Murray was simply unable to pull himself out of an abyss of self doubt and error and what’s more worrying he seemed to give up with out much a fight. The crowd in Monaco certainly sensed his lack of effort and the boos and jeers rang out around the stadium, voicing their displeasure at seeing a player renowned for his fight and spirit, displaying as much back bone as infantile jelly fish.
Two terrible performances without doubt, but should the panic sirens be sounding just yet? Well not really but they’re on stand by, Murray was awful in both matches but it doesn’t really constitute a serious slump, remembering also that one of the matches was his first of the clay court season, a surface that Murray finds notoriously difficult, and was against a player who specialises playing on the red stuff. It’s also very easy with all the hoopla going on about the Davis Cup defeat and the LTA etc etc etc to over react and jump to extreme conclusions.
However this is where Team Murray needs to earn their money! For a while now Murray has bettered pessimistic British expectations but with that first Grand Slam victory still alluding him he might just be starting to doubt himself so it may take some external help and encouragement to get him back on his feet and in winning ways again!
Lastly good luck to Leon Smith, the new GB Davis Cup captain, hopefully he’ll bring a fresh approach to the team and start producing some positive results for us all!
Leave a Reply