Rob McLean - Time for Murray to prove himself
Whatever happens at Cincinnati this week, it doesn't matter too much for Andy Murray as far as the US Open goes.
He has proved his point - he has got his mojo back and is the player to beat after humbling Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the same tournament.
Well, that is what everyone is saying. Where have we heard this before? Two years ago, one year ago? If all men's matches were the best of three sets, Murray would have a couple of Grand Slams in the bag and would probably be the the No 1 player in the world.
As somone said over the weekend, the Scot is now the best in the world on hard courts over three sets. He certainly has Federer's number in the short format of the game.
Their overall head-to-head is 7-5 to Murray; Grand Slams: Murray 0, Federer 16. Slightly odd in view of the first statistic.
Federer once again went through the 'damning Murray with faint praise routine', intimating that the Scot deserved to win but still had to do it in Slams; Murray responded by saying that he thought Federer had 'lost a little bit'. That should be all Federer needs for motivation at Flushing Meadows.
Not having a coach has temporarily done the trick for the Scot. After beating the Swiss for his first title of the year, Murray rushed over to his team and hugged his Mum in the same way he did when he won at Queen's last year.
If truth be told, the only person he always listens to now is Judy. He is certainly in no rush to find a replacement. It was the first time he had beaten Federer in a final and what this does, of course, is crank up the pressure for the forthcoming US Open, the Slam which Murray has often stated is the one he likes best because of the hustle and bustle of New York.
The billion dollar question as ever, is how this long wait for a Slam is going to affect Murray against his two main rivals when the heat is really on.
Forget Novak Djokovic, he is now firmly stuck on one Slam for the rest of his career, but Nadal and Federer still have a psychological edge over five sets.
If Murray exits Cincinnati early it could be a blessing in disguise. Although he will want to continue the winning habit, losing before the latter stages, paradoxically, might be a good idea. He will need to conserve energy.
Apart from Murray, who won this event in 2008, there has been some British success here with Tim Henman and Mark Cox reaching the final in 2000 and 1977 respectively.
However, the one British player who really took the United States by storm was Fred Perry, whose fascinating biography I am reading at the moment. Apart from his well-documented feats at Wimbledon it was at the US Open in 1933 where he he won his first Grand Slam.
So it would be entirely appropriate if Murray, who had until last year worn the Perry sportswear, should get off the mark there.
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Date published :
19 Aug 2010 - 10:22:28
