Monday 31 January 2011

Murray Mania Still On Hold

Another final, another straight sets defeat. Will Andy Murray ever take that one extra step and become a Grand Slam tournament champion? It’s been 75 years since Britain last had a male winner of a Grand Slam tournament and that long wait shows no sign of ending anytime soon.

Andy Murray at the 2009 French Open 4
Image: Andy Murray, French Open 2009, by Yann Caradec via Wikimedia Commons

Yesterday’s final of the Australian Open was Murray’s third appearance in a major final, following the ’08 US Open and last year’s Aussie Open. Each time he has been swept aside without winning a set, by Roger Federer in his previous 2 finals, and by Novak Djokovic this time around. The question has to be asked – is it a step too far for the man from Dunblane?

Well, I certainly hope not, and I do feel that Murray has what it takes to end several generations of hurt for British tennis fans. No other Brit has played in more than two Grand Slam finals since Fred Perry’s victory at the US Open in 1936, and none have reached more than one final in the Open era. The much vaunted Tim Henman never made it into a major final, and his great rival Greg Rusedski (quasi British) achieved just one appearance – at Flushing Meadows in 1997. So, Murray has certainly shown himself to be in a class of his own compared to other recent (and not-so-recent) British players.

In yesterday’s final, Murray looked tired and weary and after an initial blistering start to the first set, that tiredness seemed to grow exponentially. That may have had something to do with the fact that Djokovic had had the benefit of an extra day’s rest from the semis, and that Murray was pushed to the limit in his semi-final against David Ferrer, and may well have been carrying an injury sustained in that match too. But, every player has to contend with the battle scars of tournament tennis. Djokovic himself was heavily strapped both at the shoulder and on his knee during the final. Champions find a way to rise above the physical pain and still produce their best tennis on the court when it matters. Murray himself has done that at other tournaments on the circuit, but has blatantly failed to do so in the majors.

He has beaten every top player in the world at some point, and has quite a good win/lose ratio against most of them – Federer included. So, the implication has to be that the problem is more mental rather than technical. It is often difficult to read Murray’s body language, but to me he looked nervous and downbeat before the final even started in Melbourne. In order to become a true champion I believe that it is the mentality of winning under the most intense of pressure that Andy Murray has to take on. Without that, Britain may be waiting another 75 years.

Saturday 29 January 2011

Full Disclosure

Welcome to The Sports Ground. As I have found with my other blog, there is no telling where this journey will lead us or what I will end up blogging about and sharing with you here. What I do know is that sport in all of its forms is my passion, and I hope to share some of that enthusiasm with all of you who are kind enough to visit this little corner of the web.

As the title of this post suggests, I feel a need to let you all know where I am coming from before I get started with this blog. First of all, I fully expect the majority of my posts to concern football - or soccer if you have wandered in from some foreign parts :) Football has always been, and always will be, my main sporting interest. I currently live in Wiltshire, and I am a Swindon Town and an England supporter, so don't be surprised if a bias towards those quarters appears from time to time. That's not to say that I won't be talking about other teams or other sports - because I most definitely will.  This is, after all, The Sports Ground and not The Football Ground!

As with my football interests, my other sporting posts are likely to be a little English- or British-centric, but I am first and foremost a sports fan and I hope to cover sports, teams and atheletes from across the globe. I don't pretend to be an expert in every sport, but I always feel that you don't need to be an expert to appreciate the competition and drama that sport so often generates. When the Olympics come round I will often find myself watching archery, or volleyball, or judo, or .... well, the list goes on. Sports that don't normally register on the radar of most of us, but all of which have the power to enthral and interest the passing sports fan. That is exactly what I hope to convey here. A love of sport and the power it has to excite and beguile.

So, please join me and feel free to comment and contribute to the debate as it develops. Welcome once again to The Sports Ground - where the turnstiles are always open!