2011 Australian Open: How Andy Murray Can Transition to Grand Slam Champion

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: January 30, 2011

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Andy Murray played in his third Grand Slam final and second Australian Open final today.  His opponent was Novak Djokovic of Serbia; in his other two Grand Slam finals, his opponent was Roger Federer. Unfortunately for Andy Murray, the result was the same—a straight sets defeat.

Before last year’s Australian Open final, I was quite excited about the prospect, because Murray had played well throughout the whole tournament and looked ready to win his first major title. 

However, I was left feeling deflated due to Murray’s lack of performance or grit in the first two sets against Federer.  The third set was much closer but the damage had been done.

This year, I was not very optimistic about Murray’s prospects, because I had the nagging feeling that Murray had not improved his game or tactical thinking sufficiently to claim that elusive major title.  And that’s the key word here—claim. If you want to win the title, you have to claim it; the opponent will not give it to you. 

I remember before the 1994 European Cup final when AC Milan played Barcelona, then Milan manager Fabio Capello said his team was coming to “claim the cup”.  Barcelona were favourites going into that match but were thrashed 4:0 by Milan. The way Murray has approached his three major finals, it seems that he’s hoping his opponent will miss many shots, and he could slowly grind his way to victory

Let’s look at the tactics of the two men in the final.  Djokovic had a clear game plan; that plan was to get a high percentage of first serves in, then attempt to dictate the points by hitting hard, deep into the corners, going for winners and being bold from the baseline.  Djokovic also showed incredible defense and athleticism and was often able to turn defense into attack with stunning results.  Those tactics served him well in the semifinal whe...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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