Z
Zara
Guest
To answer your question - it's actually quite simple and at genius level (remember that Einstein quote). It's what Andy has to offer and he offers a defensive game. Most players play attacking game (to many, attacking game is superior to defensive game), so when they face Murray, their only plan is to hit through him. All Andy has to do is to put out this great defense which he is extremely good at and this, in return, frustrates his opponents and they end up beating themselves.
Someone on this thread mentioned that Murray doesn't have the game to overpower his opponents. But that isn't quite true. Murray is 6'3" tall and healthy and fit as a fine horse. There's no reason for him not to be able to generate his own power. It all goes back to the mindset he has that I already explained in my previous post (mentally more advanced than others). Someone also talked about the anticipation - that Andy anticipates things well but it doesn't start on court. It begins the moment Andy becomes aware of his opponent and his game. If it's an attacking player, he'd anticipate all possible attacks and would put out a great defense for that. Part of his strategy is to absorb the power of his opponent and slow down the point or play on his (Andy's) term (the slices, the mid-court return etc.). He loves to play a tricky game rather than just plain attack to win the match. My guess is he finds the attacking game non-creative and unimaginative.
One example that comes to mind is the character of Captain Kirk (Star Trek). He's highly intelligent and evolved as a human being. I guess that's why he's chosen to be the Captain of the Starfleet. When his ship gets attacked, the first thing he does, he puts the shield out to defend the ship, himself and his crew. And then he makes communication with the attacker to find out the reason behind the attack. If he can negotiate then problem resolves itself - in other words, he wins the battle without attacking. That's a type of win too. He seldom attacks back, only when his back is against the wall and his ship is under immediate threat. Do you suppose Kirk can't attack back when his own ship is well equipped with various weapons too? He most certainly can but he won't as battle can be won other ways too and as a highly evolved being, he prefers the non-attacking way, case in point.
Even if one insists that Murray plays defensive because he doesn't have a powerful game, then you will have to go with example of the movie Predator where Dutch faces his enemy who is not only so much more powerful than him but he is also hidden. How do you defeat an enemy like that? Do you want to go on a mindless attacking with whatever you have or do you want to know the enemy more and develop your plan based on that (wasn't that a cat and mouse game)? It's not the survival of the fittest but the survival of the wisest. Yes - tennis is a game and the ultimate goal is to win the match but punching your opponent to the ground is not the only way to win it.
I should mention that, Murray is also a person of feeling; reasons why the Comms always say he's got a great feeling of the court, ball, touch etc. He's also very sensitive - reason why things like gong, feather, butterfly distracts him easily. These are all signs of a more evolved being.
Also, athletes aren't supposed to be highly intelligent anyway apart from a few like Murray. As they say, either you are a brilliant scholar or you are everything else. Maybe Murray would have been more successful if he was one track and more primitive minded.
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