OddJack
G.O.A.T.
It started at the Australian Open, where Roger Federer decided to get into Andy Murray's head. Who knew Murray would make it so easy? He had finally become aggressive enough to beat Rafael Nadal, and looked like he was ready to win the big one. He would play Federer in the final.
And then Federer started talking:
"Look, he's in his second Grand Slam final now ... But now that he didn't win the first one, that doesn't help for the second one around. Plus, he's playing, you know, me.''
Murray has not been the same since then. He lost this week 6-2, 6-1 in his first match in Monte Carlo to Philipp Kohlschreiber, not even trying by the end. The crowd booed.
What is wrong with Andy Murray? He seems to be all tangled up, skipping tournaments, ticking off officials at one event when he said he was just practicing out there.
Murray's rise to greatness has stopped one step short, at very, very goodness. Now he's falling.
But it's not just Murray. This is about flying too close to the sun. That's my theory, anyway. Novak Djokovic is having the same problem. Even Nikolay Davydenko had it.
In January, Davydenko was playing better than anyone. And when he took it to a major, the Australian, he started to crush Federer.
Then, Federer pretended he had to go to the bathroom, took a break and gave Davydenko's brain a few minutes to realize what was on the verge of happening.
So Davydenko lost it.
How simple it has been for Federer to swat away these next-tier players.
He blows on them, and they fall down.
"It's purely down to me, what goes on inside my head. No one else can make that better or change it. You need to do that yourself.''
-- Andy Murray Djokovic has reached No. 2 in the rankings, and suddenly he can't serve anymore. Is he actually trying to serve without bending his elbow or something? So he fired co-coach Todd Martin, said he's going back to his old serve and now can't remember how he did that.
The problem for Djokovic isn't a shortage of skills. He can do everything. Instead, his brain can't wrap itself around these heights. He won the Australian Open in 2008, beating Federer along the way. And he has had every chance since then to show that he truly belongs at the very top.
Now, he can't serve.
We saw similar mental blocks on the women's tour. Ana Ivanovic hit No. 1 and forgot how to toss the ball. Jelena Jankovic fell apart when she got there. Dinara Safina was crying on court after hitting No. 1, calling herself a chicken.
"It's purely down to me, what goes on inside my head,'' Murray said. "No one else can make that better or change it. You need to do that yourself.''
Murray was great at the Australian Open, until the final. Until he got close to the sun.
The annoying thing about Murray's game is that he also can do everything: power, touch, smarts, speed. And that's good enough to beat just about anyone, anywhere.
But you cannot outsmart Federer or Nadal, especially in a major.
Sometimes it takes blunt force. Just ask Juan Martin del Potro, who beat both stars at the U.S. Open that way last year.
In Miami this year, Andy Roddick was trying to play along with Nadal, and was bullied on the baseline. So he decided to take huge swings on his forehand, take big chances. It's not safe, but it was either that or lose.
He won.
Something seems to block Murray from being aggressive. When he finally stepped up against Nadal in Australia, that should have been his coming-out.
Instead, Federer started talking and Murray went timid again.
That loss to Federer has knocked Murray backward, because now his patience isn't even good enough to beat Mardy Fish, Robin Soderling or Kohlschreiber. This is his first three-match losing streak since his first full-year on tour. He figures to drop to No. 5 in the rankings on Monday.
But this isn't just a slump for him. It's a mental block. It's a hurdle he has tripped over. Instead of being crowned in Australia, as he expected, he discovered flaws.
Now, he's trying to think only of majors, which has torn him down. On court and off, he's thinking too much.
And think about this: He gave up against Kohlschreiber after asking for a wild card into the tournament. He didn't have to play in Monte Carlo, and wasn't planning to. But after losing so quickly in Indian Wells and Miami, he wanted more match play.
Then, he couldn't fight to the end?
"I think he really needs it more than I do, you know?'' Federer said that day in January before the final, when he blew Murray down. "So I think the pressure's big on him. But we'll see how he's going to handle it. It's not going to be easy for him, that's for sure.''
It has been a disaster.
Look, even the great players usually go through a learning curve in major finals. Maybe that's all that's happening to Murray, who is just 22.
Or maybe he has been exposed. Maybe Djokovic and Davydenko have, too, their wings melted by the sun.
And then Federer started talking:
"Look, he's in his second Grand Slam final now ... But now that he didn't win the first one, that doesn't help for the second one around. Plus, he's playing, you know, me.''
Murray has not been the same since then. He lost this week 6-2, 6-1 in his first match in Monte Carlo to Philipp Kohlschreiber, not even trying by the end. The crowd booed.
What is wrong with Andy Murray? He seems to be all tangled up, skipping tournaments, ticking off officials at one event when he said he was just practicing out there.
Murray's rise to greatness has stopped one step short, at very, very goodness. Now he's falling.
But it's not just Murray. This is about flying too close to the sun. That's my theory, anyway. Novak Djokovic is having the same problem. Even Nikolay Davydenko had it.
In January, Davydenko was playing better than anyone. And when he took it to a major, the Australian, he started to crush Federer.
Then, Federer pretended he had to go to the bathroom, took a break and gave Davydenko's brain a few minutes to realize what was on the verge of happening.
So Davydenko lost it.
How simple it has been for Federer to swat away these next-tier players.
He blows on them, and they fall down.
"It's purely down to me, what goes on inside my head. No one else can make that better or change it. You need to do that yourself.''
-- Andy Murray Djokovic has reached No. 2 in the rankings, and suddenly he can't serve anymore. Is he actually trying to serve without bending his elbow or something? So he fired co-coach Todd Martin, said he's going back to his old serve and now can't remember how he did that.
The problem for Djokovic isn't a shortage of skills. He can do everything. Instead, his brain can't wrap itself around these heights. He won the Australian Open in 2008, beating Federer along the way. And he has had every chance since then to show that he truly belongs at the very top.
Now, he can't serve.
We saw similar mental blocks on the women's tour. Ana Ivanovic hit No. 1 and forgot how to toss the ball. Jelena Jankovic fell apart when she got there. Dinara Safina was crying on court after hitting No. 1, calling herself a chicken.
"It's purely down to me, what goes on inside my head,'' Murray said. "No one else can make that better or change it. You need to do that yourself.''
Murray was great at the Australian Open, until the final. Until he got close to the sun.
The annoying thing about Murray's game is that he also can do everything: power, touch, smarts, speed. And that's good enough to beat just about anyone, anywhere.
But you cannot outsmart Federer or Nadal, especially in a major.
Sometimes it takes blunt force. Just ask Juan Martin del Potro, who beat both stars at the U.S. Open that way last year.
In Miami this year, Andy Roddick was trying to play along with Nadal, and was bullied on the baseline. So he decided to take huge swings on his forehand, take big chances. It's not safe, but it was either that or lose.
He won.
Something seems to block Murray from being aggressive. When he finally stepped up against Nadal in Australia, that should have been his coming-out.
Instead, Federer started talking and Murray went timid again.
That loss to Federer has knocked Murray backward, because now his patience isn't even good enough to beat Mardy Fish, Robin Soderling or Kohlschreiber. This is his first three-match losing streak since his first full-year on tour. He figures to drop to No. 5 in the rankings on Monday.
But this isn't just a slump for him. It's a mental block. It's a hurdle he has tripped over. Instead of being crowned in Australia, as he expected, he discovered flaws.
Now, he's trying to think only of majors, which has torn him down. On court and off, he's thinking too much.
And think about this: He gave up against Kohlschreiber after asking for a wild card into the tournament. He didn't have to play in Monte Carlo, and wasn't planning to. But after losing so quickly in Indian Wells and Miami, he wanted more match play.
Then, he couldn't fight to the end?
"I think he really needs it more than I do, you know?'' Federer said that day in January before the final, when he blew Murray down. "So I think the pressure's big on him. But we'll see how he's going to handle it. It's not going to be easy for him, that's for sure.''
It has been a disaster.
Look, even the great players usually go through a learning curve in major finals. Maybe that's all that's happening to Murray, who is just 22.
Or maybe he has been exposed. Maybe Djokovic and Davydenko have, too, their wings melted by the sun.
