Is Murray a contender for the title?

T

The_Begum_of_Bhopal

Rookie
Before the AO started I thought that Murray stood no chance of winning. Doha and his match against Hewitt seemed to confirm that. Yet, after today's superb performance has he suddenly shaken off the rust and become a serious contender for the title?
 
The_Begum_of_Bhopal said:
Before the AO started I thought that Murray stood no chance of winning. Doha and his match against Hewitt seemed to confirm that. Yet, after today's superb performance has he suddenly shaken off the rust and become a serious contender for the title?
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I don't think so. I don't think he is ready quite yet.
 
I think Murray will reach the Quarter Finals then loose to either Federer or Tsonga.

If he beats any of these to get the Semis then that is a huge achievement. Nadal is another kettle of fish though.

I'd like to see him win the whole thing, if he did it would be a monumental achievement...it's wishful thinking :(
 
Yes he is. If he reaches the semi, he has a very good chance to beat RNadal (provided that he doesn't lose early).
One loss in Doha doesn't mean much. AMurray lost in Queens in R2 in 2012 and then reached Wimbledon final and won Olympics.
 
He is absolutely a contender. All depends on his post-injury form. He's had two absolutely blowout victories since coming back and one kind of weird loss. So we'll see.
 
I don;t see why he can't be to be honest.

He has said that he was playing in pain for years and that now he is pain free and has better mobility. He is fit and strong enough.

The only thing lacking is match time, and if he reaches the quaters he will have got plenty of match time under his belt to shake of the rust, and if he beats Tsonga/Federer there then he is in great form.
 
I missed his first round match in which he gave two bread sticks.but I saw his match against Tsonga in Abu Dhabi. He was serving bombs against him in exhibition match. Most of the first serves were 126+ mph as I saw.
Now come to his movement which was fine against Tsonga , he hit two impossible lobs as I remember.
I am feeling he improved his volleys in break ( he made great BH volley at 4-5, 15-30 down in that match ), though he have nice touch.

Very important factor he is not waiting , he is trying to hit winner or drop shot , aggressively returns. This version of Murray may be more dangerous than 2013 as he couldn't generate power, now back problem is solved and much hard training in Miami makes him Favorite for Wimbledon or USO not AO or RG .
 
I watched most of Murray's match versus Soeda and was very pleasantly surprised. That's not to say he's now a contender for the title - much too early for that, but the first 2 sets were quite simply the best I've seen Murray play since the Wimbledon final.

I am very heartened - but not getting carried away. Let's see him win his next match before we hand him Norm.
 
Big Murray fan here but i think not. He was good in his 1st round but he was playing someone who has nothing to hurt him with. I think he's still fit enough to make it to Federer/Tsonga but i would say its 50/50 if he would win against either of them and its more like 80/20 against Nadal in Rafa's favour.
 
Was impressed with his first round play. Much greater variety and pace on both 1sts and seconds than the US Open so there is a chance he can play his way into this thing. Nadal in the semis is a HUGE hurdle but honestly if he so,ehow gets to the final he is taking this... he's definitely worked on his second serve.

Andy Murray does everything the hard way.
 
Hard to say with Muzzy. All depends on if he'll take the deal that Toni Corleone offered him.
 
Annie said:
I missed his first round match in which he gave two bread sticks.but I saw his match against Tsonga in Abu Dhabi. He was serving bombs against him in exhibition match. Most of the first serves were 126+ mph as I saw.
Now come to his movement which was fine against Tsonga , he hit two impossible lobs as I remember.
I am feeling he improved his volleys in break ( he made great BH volley at 4-5, 15-30 down in that match ), though he have nice touch.

Very important factor he is not waiting , he is trying to hit winner or drop shot , aggressively returns. This version of Murray may be more dangerous than 2013 as he couldn't generate power, now back problem is solved and much hard training in Miami makes him Favorite for Wimbledon or USO not AO or RG .
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British tennis will get more slams soon, I agree. Nadal will probably monopolize RG and AO from now on and Murray will start adding Wimbledons and USOs to his resume.

Sir Andrew Barron Murray OBE soon to give the Glorious British Empire even more glory.
 
Forehand Of Doom said:
British tennis will get more slams soon, I agree. Nadal will probably monopolize RG and AO from now on and Murray will start adding Wimbledons and USOs to his resume.

Sir Andrew Barron Murray OBE soon to give the Glorious British Empire even more glory.
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No room for the Joker?

As to the OP, too early to say. I was very skeptical pre-tournament based on Murray's own comments as Murray is usually quite honest with his remarks: http://www1.skysports.com/news/12040/9110531/

This match, against a guy, who can't hurt him, does not change much.
But if he's back in form by the quarters, he's the favorite against either Fed or Tsonga and close to 50-50 against in a potential Nadal-semi. But that is a big if.
 
Chanwan said:
Ah, I wasn't around enough on the forum at that time to remember fastgrass.
What do you think of Murray? Too early to say?
If he's fit, do you give him close to a 50-50 vs. Nadal?
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Here's what I think will happen. Nadal and Murray will meet in the SF and Murray will throw everything he has at Rafa and everyone will be surprised at how well Murray is playing given his recent surgery but alas it won't quite be enough. I honestly think it could be very similar to the match Murray and Djokovic played two years ago at the AO. It will be very interesting to see how the tournament pans out.
 
Djokovic2011 said:
Here's what I think will happen. Nadal and Murray will meet in the SF and Murray will throw everything he has at Rafa and everyone will be surprised at how well Murray is playing given his recent surgery but alas it won't quite be enough. I honestly think it could be very similar to the match Murray and Djokovic played two years ago at the AO. It will be very interesting to see how the tournament pans out.
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I could see that happening too. I've been wanting to see Murray 2.0 vs. Nadal for quite some time now. And I think the AO surface is as neutral as it comes between these two players. The question is simply, whether this is Murray 2.0 or whether we won't see him until the spring/summer.
 
Chanwan said:
Ah, I wasn't around enough on the forum at that time to remember fastgrass.
What do you think of Murray? Too early to say?
If he's fit, do you give him close to a 50-50 vs. Nadal?
Click to expand...

Murray is an unknown at the moment, and I am certain Nadal's team are cautiously concerned. Nadal hasn't played Murray post Lendl, so he might be a huge contender for Rafa from now on.

It's hard to put percentages, but he seems to have recovered well from his surgery, which is awesome. I don't know what to tell you, but I can't wait to see those two play.
 
Murray is definitely a contender. If his back is back (pun intended) to normal, he can definitely win this tournament by beating Tsonga/fed, Nadal and Djoker back to back to back :)
 
The_Begum_of_Bhopal said:
Before the AO started I thought that Murray stood no chance of winning. Doha and his match against Hewitt seemed to confirm that. Yet, after today's superb performance has he suddenly shaken off the rust and become a serious contender for the title?
Click to expand...

As Murray is fresh physically and mentally, I see no reason why he cannot be a serious contender for the title, he knows how to get to the final in Australia.
 
Forehand Of Doom said:
Murray is an unknown at the moment, and I am certain Nadal's team are cautiously concerned. Nadal hasn't played Murray post Lendl, so he might be a huge contender for Rafa from now on.

It's hard to put percentages, but he seems to have recovered well from his surgery, which is awesome. I don't know what to tell you, but I can't wait to see those two play.
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The last meeting between Andy and Rafa was pre-Lendl at Tokyo 2011. Andy put on a show and went off with a 6-0 third set to win the Title.

Murray is a guy who can, at his best, out play the top players. He's ALWAYS a threat and a major concern!
 
Chanwan said:
Possibly the wrong thread, but isn't there missing a seed from Murray's section of the draw. He was bound to meet Isner (who's out) in the fourth round, but there's no other seeds in Isner's bracket (i.e. the seed between 17th and 24th that Isner would meet in the 3rd round - as far as I can see.

http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/scores/draws/ms/r1s2.html
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Kohlschreiber pulled out after the tournament had started, so he was replaced by a lucky loser, rather than rejigging the draw and putting the highest-ranked non-seed in his spot in the draw. (Jovanovski is #33 seed in the women's event, which really doesn't do her any favors, as it means a third round match against Azarenka, rather than a 3rd round match against Halep, IIRC).
 
Hard to tell about Murray. He doesn't seem to be fully fit, but now that Isner and Kohschreiber are out, he can probably get to the quarter-finals in third gear, and four matches might just be enough match practice for him to be competitive. Lopez won't be a threat on these courts.

Even in the quarter-finals, he'll be firm favorite against either Tsonga or Federer, although he will no doubt need to be at least close to his best then.
 
nethawkwenatchee said:
The last meeting between Andy and Rafa was pre-Lendl at Tokyo 2011. Andy put on a show and went off with a 6-0 third set to win the Title.

Murray is a guy who can, at his best, out play the top players. He's ALWAYS a threat and a major concern!
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Quite true! Anticipating the potential SF between him and Rafa.
 
This Australian Open is different. Players are falling everywhere, even seeds in the first round due to the weather. Murray has a chance at getting to Rafa and even beating him if he plays himself into form.
 
Nothing has changed he is a contender but not one of the favourites just like before the tournament started, one good win against a journeyman does not change that.
 
beast of mallorca said:
Murray is definitely a contender. If his back is back (pun intended) to normal, he can definitely win this tournament by beating Tsonga/fed, Nadal and Djoker back to back to back :)
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Stranger things have happened, but I kind of doubt he will get past the SF this time round.

Still, he is looking pretty good. I didn't see his match vs Soeda (they broadcast the Hewitt - Seppi epic instead) but saw the highlights on YT. He seems to be moving really well and hitting the ball with a lot of power. Not that playing well against someone outside the top 100 proves anything, but still a good sign.

I think his draw has helped him with the heatwave conditions this week, given that he is probably not fully match fit yet. He managed to get through his R1 match in 1 hour 27, so that was not too taxing. His next match tomorrow is at night on Laver, and I doubt he will spend much time or energy against his R2 opponent (no. 267 in the world, 27 years old, with a career high of 147). He shouldn't find R3, presumably against Lopez, too much of an effort and by the time he plays that match then the weather will be much cooler. So at least he should be relatively fresh for the second week when the opposition will get a lot tougher. For someone who isn't fully match fit, this is all good.

Anyway I don't think he is ready to win the AO but I do hope to see a SF with Nadal. That would be fun - they always have great matches when they play each other.
 
Some encouraging quotes from the telegraph

Will Murray get that far? Almost certainly, unless his level falls dramatically from the excellence that dispatched Japan’s Go Soeda. Neither Novak Djokovic nor Roger Federer struck the ball as sweetly in their opening victories.

what felt particularly encouraging was the new sense of freedom about Murray’s movement, particularly on the backhand wing. "I felt freer today than I did for the last 18 months.”

Murray’s chronic spinal pain eased up during last summer’s grass-court season, with its lower bounce and softer landings, and he was clearly at full functionality for the Wimbledon final. But when he returned to clay courts for a Davis Cup tie in September, courtside fans could hear him cursing his inability to play the backhand down the line – the stroke that used to be his trademark. That shot was back on Tuesday, and in spades. It requires a particular combination of rotation and forward momentum that had – until recently – been causing Murray to clutch at his hip.
 
Not for me, as a huge fan i'd love him to be, but i'd got him losing to Isner in the 4th before he retired (the big serve would of been tough with the back not being totally match fit, the stretching to reach etc..).

As he's out i'm going to be a bit bolder and say he'll lose to Nadal in the semi's.
 
Sabratha said:
Murray has a chance at getting to Rafa and even beating him if he plays himself into form.
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ark_28 said:
one good win against a journeyman does not change that.
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He's looking good so far and has F. Lopez (who he owns) in the third round, then either lucky loser qualifiers S. Robert or M.Klizan in R16, then a possible match up with Tsonga (if he can manage to get through Gilles Simon) or Federer in the QF.

I like Andy's draw from here forward and look forward to some quality tennis. He's just now finding his Slam rhythm and could make a deep run, if not win this.
 
Feña14 said:
Not for me, as a huge fan i'd love him to be, but i'd got him losing to Isner in the 4th before he retired (the big serve would of been tough with the back not being totally match fit, the stretching to reach etc..).

As he's out i'm going to be a bit bolder and say he'll lose to Nadal in the semi's.
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That sounds right.
 
Isner hasn't had a good track record in Australia also, so even if he made it to Murray I don't think he would have won.
 
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