What Does Murray Think?

I wonder if Murray watched the Nadal Djokovic US final or for that matter the Federer Djokovic semi. If so should he be encouraged by Djokovics achievements? Maybe if Djokovic can do it so can Murray. Or should he be discouraged? Those matches looked pretty tough. Can Murray play at that level?

hawkeye Andy was keen to point out how easy it is to throw advice his way from the sidelines (imagine that's aimed at Becker, Rusedski...etc)

Having said that he'd have to be very stubborn indeed not to be tempted to try and play the way Djokovic did especially if he listened to Novak's comments regarding the need he (Novak) felt to change his game and become more aggressive.

VMP

Wasn't that quite a few years ago, when Andy defeated RF in a final, that TMF commented about the need for Andy's game to be more aggressive for future successes. At that time RF was criticised, but I recall reading Judy accepting that comment as a fair assessment, subsequently.

It might help persuade Andy that Rafa is mortal! He always speaks of Rafa with such reverential awe, I'm not sure he truly believes he can beat him. As recently as last week he was describing him as the best player in the world, which seems an odd thing to say this year.

I think Murray is nearly at the physical level to play that way, but i imagine it takes a hell of a lot of self confidence to play with the depth that Djoko has done this year match after match.

But Murray clearly doesn't believe that's the right way for him to go, otherwise he'd do it.

Where Murray goes from here is very interesting. His game now might well win him a major or two, he does get to the business end of most majors and his game has beaten the top guys... But not consistently.

I'd love to see him try and replicate the way Novak plays now, but I doubt he will.

Murray was at his best when he had Brad Gilbert as coach. Maybe Murray needs to think about not being so stubborn and hiring a proper coach again.

Question isn't whether Murray can play tough tennis, it's whether he can play confident unnerved tennis, which he can't

GillesSimon wrote:Murray was at his best when he had Brad Gilbert as coach. Maybe Murray needs to think about not being so stubborn and hiring a proper coach again.

Erm... All of his slam final appearances and masters series titles came AFTER Gilbert!

You cant compare Djokovic with Murray. I am not going on the New Djoko but the old one who won his first slam at 19+ years, the same year Murray crashed out in the first round. Even at that age the two were miles apart and now that gap has widened even more.

Murray will always fall into that the second bracket. Just because he has reached a few slam finals does not mean he can win one. After all tennis history is full of players who reached grand slam finals but never won. He has got a long way to go still if he wants to win one. I think he is a very good player and on paper he should have won one by now.

Perhaps the young Novak should have been granted that visa all those years ago as then he may have been playing with GB next to his name!

According to Novak he would have never transferred to Britain - he is too much of a patriot. The link with Britain was apparently something his father was "exploring" for him - but maybe you know more.

Danny_1982 wrote:

GillesSimon wrote:Murray was at his best when he had Brad Gilbert as coach. Maybe Murray needs to think about not being so stubborn and hiring a proper coach again.

Erm... All of his slam final appearances and masters series titles came AFTER Gilbert!

He needs someone like Brad Gilbert. Murray is too stubborn to take any advice it seems these days from anyone, apart from maybe his mother

Murray is blessed with the famous 'Scottish granite', just ask people who were there during the 2010 and 2011 AO finals, the recent Wimbledon and USO semi's... they can vouch for him!!!

GillesSimon wrote:Murray was at his best when he had Brad Gilbert as coach. Maybe Murray needs to think about not being so stubborn and hiring a proper coach again.

Exactly, he should have never let gilbert go and bring in a bunch of yes man and his friends. Novak has a close relationship with vajda and over the last 2-3 years he has grown as a player, Murray has his mates working with him and over the last two years he has completely stagnated as a player. I can't really think of a single aspect of his game that has gotten better in the last two years or so.

Nore Staat wrote:According to Novak he would have never transferred to Britain - he is too much of a patriot. The link with Britain was apparently something his father was "exploring" for him - but maybe you know more.

He said he was hoping or looking for the LTA to fund him in the early years. That never materialised and its probably for the best in a way. He spoke of all these things in an interview for BBC (I think) in Monte Carlo a few years ago.