Why has Murray's level dropped since the USO?

[veroniquem]

I don't think his fans should panic though. Murray has always found a way to recover from his slump periods and win big titles. He's been very consistent in terms of his ranking and winning a few titles every year. 8 master titles is nothing to spit on. Neither Safin, nor Hewitt nor Roddick have them.

[Oceansize]

Originally Posted by veroniquem

I don't think his fans should panic though. Murray has always found a way to recover from his slump periods and win big titles. He's been very consistent in terms of his ranking and winning a few titles every year. 8 master titles is nothing to spit on. Neither Safin, nor Hewitt nor Roddick have them.

Good point! I think a lot of people are guilty of overreacting on this forum (myself included). All in all it was a great year for Andy, and he just needs to keep on trying to improve gradually. In hindsight it is silly to think his Slam victory was going to suddenly turn him into a more relaxed and positive tennis player.

[veroniquem]

So true. His personality is what it is. He has won titles with that personality and he will win more. He's not gonna morph into Mr Sunshine all of a sudden.

[Tony48]

Because Murray is the least-consistent player of the top 4.

[ruerooo]

Because really, no one can stay at that level all the time.

[Mainad]

Originally Posted by ruerooo

Because really, no one can stay at that level all the time.

Interestingly, an article I read the other day pointed out that most recent USO winners did not go on to win much in the remaining months of the season:

The 2008 winner, Federer only went on to win his hometown tournament Basel, a 500 event.

The 2009 winner, Del Potro won no further events although he did make the final of the WTF.

The 2010 winner, Nadal only went on to win Tokyo, a 500 event. Like Del Potro, he did go on to make the final of the WTF.

The 2011 winner, Djokovic won no further events pulling out of the Asain swing, DC and Paris and failing to qualify from the group stages in London. His best showing was a semi-final appearance in Basel where he got bagelled by world # 32 Nishikori.

The 2012 winner, Murray was on the verge of defending his title in Shanghai and should have done so, passing up 5 championship points. Had he managed to convert one of them he would have done better finishing the season than the 4 previous USO winners. But he didn't and passed up 3 other match points in Tokyo and Paris too. His final appearance in the semis in London was disappointingly one of his worst performances of the year.

I wonder if the 2013 USO champion will be able to break this recent pattern and go on to win something big before the season ends?

[Mainad]

Just came across this article. Murray's old coach, Miles Maclagan actually predicted right after the USO win that Murray might go into a slump rather than go on a winning spree. I guess Miles obviously knows him all too well!

Andy Murray's former coach Miles Maclagan predicts "lull"

http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/tennis/u...ull_44745.html

I dont think it has dropped much. He won a close U.S Open final he could have lost, and lost close matches to Djokovic in Shanghai and the WTF he could have won. Such is life.

[MurrayMyInspiration]

He is taking it easy and saving all his energy for sexi Kimi!

[Max G.]

Originally Posted by Mainad

Just came across this article. Murray's old coach, Miles Maclagan actually predicted right after the USO win that Murray might go into a slump rather than go on a winning spree. I guess Miles obviously knows him all too well!

Andy Murray's former coach Miles Maclagan predicts "lull"

http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/tennis/u...ull_44745.html

Huh, that sort of makes sense.

It takes a lot of motivation to keep working and keep fighting. But once you've achieved a major goal, what's motivating you? You have to take the time and find a new goal and get really invested in it. I bet some of these losses will spur Murray on so he keeps working at it, though.

[MonkeyBoy]

Originally Posted by The Bawss

USO was a fluke, windy conditions favoured the highland-bred Haggis-eating champ massively.

Originally Posted by Netspirit

If not for the crazy wind that disrupted Djokovic's game he would not have won the USO.

If we're going to strip Murray of the USO due to environmental factors, we might as well strip Federer of Wimbledon by the same principles. Do you deny that Federer benefited more from the closing of the roof than Andy did?

Originally Posted by Netspirit

And if not for the Fed-DelPo suicide semi-final we would not have won the Olympics.

Yes, Federer was spent in the final. It's completely wrong to take from this that Murray did not deserve the gold, or somehow got lucky at the Olympics. Fed wasn't spent due to extratextual factors; he was playing in the same competition as Andy, and if he had a more harrowing ride to the finals, it was purely due to his inability to deal with the circumstances as well as Murray did. The only thing you can complain about is Federer having a harder draw, but I don't think that's evident. Tell me, what's a more impressive feat: Beating DelPo in 4 1/2 hours, or beating Djokovic in less than 2?

Another thing to remember that people never bring up is that, while Fed/Mur both crashed out early in the men's doubles, Murray was competing all the way through in the mixed, while Federer wasn't.

[Netspirit]

Originally Posted by MonkeyBoy

If we're going to strip Murray of the USO due to environmental factors, we might as well strip Federer of Wimbledon by the same principles. Do you deny that Federer benefited more from the closing of the roof than Andy did?

Oh yes, absolutely. He won the second set with the roof still open and had enough momentum to win the match in those conditions.

It's completely wrong to take from this that Murray did not deserve the gold, or somehow got lucky at the Olympics.

Murray did deserve the gold. The point is: that medal does not prove that he somehow reached the next level and is expected to maintain that level permanently.

[Mainad]

Originally Posted by Netspirit

Oh yes, absolutely. He won the second set with the roof still open and had enough momentum to win the match in those conditions.

He only narrowly won the 2nd set. The closure of the roof changed conditions completely and definitely favoured Federer. Had Federer lost that match you would no doubt have used the closure of the roof as an excuse just as you seem to think the wind blew more strongly on Djokovic's side of the court than it did on Murray's at the USO!

Originally Posted by Netspirit

Murray did deserve the gold. The point is: that medal does not prove that he somehow reached the next level and is expected to maintain that level permanently.

Well, he went on to win the USO but, oh I forgot, that one was down to the wind (because we all know that Murray is the only player on the tour that isn't affected by the wiind). I guess if it weren't for hurricanes and tired opponents, he would never win anything, would he?

[kalyan4fedever]

Originally Posted by Mainad

He only narrowly won the 2nd set. The closure of the roof changed conditions completely and definitely favoured Federer. Had Federer lost that match you would no doubt have used the closure of the roof as an excuse just as you seem to think the wind blew more strongly on Djokovic's side of the court than it did on Murray's at the USO!

ok murraa is great we get it

[MonkeyBoy]

Originally Posted by Netspirit

Oh yes, absolutely. He won the second set with the roof still open and had enough momentum to win the match in those conditions.

I'm not saying Federer wouldn't have won with the roof open (I think it was his day). But the roof closing did help him. The point: It's all part of the game. Because Murray dealt with the weather better does not detract from his victories, nor mean he necessarily would have lost those matches without it.

Originally Posted by Netspirit

Murray did deserve the gold. The point is: that medal does not prove that he somehow reached the next level and is expected to maintain that level permanently.

Murray's been operating at 'that level' for quite a while; he's just lacked mental resolve to replicate it in big matches. I think the Olympics and USO have helped 'unblock' him in a pretty major way.

[Netspirit]

Originally Posted by Mainad

He only narrowly won the 2nd set. The closure of the roof changed conditions completely and definitely favoured Federer. Had Federer lost that match you would no doubt have used the closure of the roof as an excuse just as you seem to think the wind blew more strongly on Djokovic's side of the court than it did on Murray's at the USO!

No, why would I use it as an excuse. Closed roof conditions should favor Federer. My point is: he was not losing the match even with the roof open, so obviously conditions were not a deal breaker.

In the USO final, the conditions completely disrupted and randomized the game, nullifying Djokovic's advantage in class. That match does not indicate any "new level" of Murray that would "suddenly drop" after the USO.

There was no drop, as there had been no raise.

[Mainad]

Originally Posted by kalyan4fedever

ok murraa is great we get it

Don't tell me, tell Netspirit. He seems to be the one who doesn't 'get it' !

[Mainad]

Originally Posted by Netspirit

No, why would I use it as an excuse. Closed roof conditions should favor Federer. My point is: he was not losing the match even with the roof open, so obviously conditions were not a deal breaker.

The first two sets were narrowly fought wins by both players. After the roof closed, Federer's level went up significantly and he cruised through the next two. Kudos to him.

Originally Posted by Netspirit

In the USO final, the conditions completely disrupted and randomized the game, nullifying Djokovic's advantage in class. That match does not indicate any "new level" of Murray that would "suddenly drop" after the USO.

There was no drop, as there had been no raise.

Both players were precisely and evenly matched in that final and both were equally affected by the coinditions. Both said so afterwards. Djokovic levelled the match at 2 sets all (funny how the wind didn't stop him from doing that) and then Murray did something he had never done in a Slam final before, he raised his level to take the final set and took it convincingly with 2 breaks of serve! He was clutch on one of the biggest ever stages when it finally mattered and that was a definite first for him!

Unfortunately, he forgot this lesson in his next 3 tournaments, especially in the final of Shanghai which he definitely should have won. His level undoubtedly dropped further at the WTF when he blew leads in his matches against both Djokovic and Federer.

I'm hoping that he will rediscover the form which netted him the Olympics and the USO when the new season starts. I think he will.

[batz]

Originally Posted by Netspirit

No, why would I use it as an excuse. Closed roof conditions should favor Federer. My point is: he was not losing the match even with the roof open, so obviously conditions were not a deal breaker.

In the USO final, the conditions completely disrupted and randomized the game, nullifying Djokovic's advantage in class. That match does not indicate any "new level" of Murray that would "suddenly drop" after the USO.

There was no drop, as there had been no raise.

Oh please, enough with the inane attempts at detracting from Murray's USO win.

When Roger beats Agassi at the USO in the middle of a gale, it's evidence of Roger's skill and adaptability; ditto when Rafa destroys Murray in the final of Indian Wells a couple of years ago. But when Murray adapts better to the conditions than his opponent then it is down to dumb luck? A Random outcome of the prevailing conditions? Did you see the 5th set? Did Novak lose it because of the wind? It wasn't even blowing by the end of the match - novak still lost.

Murray is USO and Olympic champion. The End.

[Fedex]

Originally Posted by Netspirit

No, why would I use it as an excuse. Closed roof conditions should favor Federer. My point is: he was not losing the match even with the roof open, so obviously conditions were not a deal breaker.

In the USO final, the conditions completely disrupted and randomized the game, nullifying Djokovic's advantage in class. That match does not indicate any "new level" of Murray that would "suddenly drop" after the USO.

There was no drop, as there had been no raise.

So what happened at the Olympic semi final?
What's the excuse there?