Andy Murray: Keeping his eye on the ball

Published on Saturday 16 January 2010 20:57

IT IS the eve of the Australian Open and Andy Murray has some unfinished business to attend to. Despite his happy, relaxed mood, there is something nagging and niggling him. Like a stone in his shoe, it is not life threatening or dangerous but it is still damned annoying.

Last year was the best of Murray's career so far: six titles won, a ranking high of No.2 last summer and a major step forward achieved at the grand slams by reaching the quarter-finals at the French Open and the semi-finals of Wimbledon. Added to his runner-up spot at the US Open in 2008, he has now reached the business end of three of the four major tournaments. Melbourne, though, has escaped him.

In four previous visits, Murray has never made it beyond the fourth round despite the fact that hard courts should suit his game and the easy-going, sports-mad environment should suit his temperament. The Australian Open, then, remains a blot of his copybook.

Last year, particularly, is a puzzle. As Murray made his way to the fourth round, he did not drop a set. He was on an unbeaten run of 11 matches, he had won the title in Doha, he was the bookies' favourite for the title and he was playing Fernando Verdasco, a man he had beaten five times before. And he lost. In five sets. Murray was not going to forget that in a hurry.

"When I played against Verdasco, I'd played him a lot of times in the past," Murray said, "and he was always so talented. But he went from being sort of very talented and erratic to very consistent and hitting the ball huge off both sides. He'd obviously worked hard on his fitness, which makes you stronger and more stable. That was a little bit surprising that he was able to maintain that level for such a long time.

"I felt like I was playing well coming to the tournament. I had a good start in Doha and then played well in the first three matches. Didn't lose a set. Against Verdasco, I had a lot of chances to win and didn't take them. So there were a few things from that match that I improved on throughout the rest of the year.

"I feel like I learned a lot from what happened last year and I'll try and play better and go deeper in the tournament than I have done in previous years – that's getting past the fourth round. That will be my first goal.

In order to achieve that goal, Murray arrived in Australia two weeks ago and has been hard at work on the practice courts of Melbourne Park since Monday. So well are his preparations going that he even allowed himself a day off on Friday – his first break since Christmas Day. But no matter how meticulously he plans, Murray knows from experience that anything can happen in Australia – it is always best to expect the unexpected.

"You never know because it's the first big tournament of the year," he said. "This is one tournament where there's always a few surprises. You never know quite what to expect. Guys are always looking just to add small things. It's not like you're going to be, I guess, hugely surprised on the court when you play against them. But guys might have improved a few bits and pieces."

Murray has added a few bits and pieces of his own for the coming season and has been focusing on playing a slightly more aggressive game. He is still – and will always be – a counter-puncher but there are occasions when he knows that attack is the best form of defence. The trick, though, is knowing when to pounce.

"Its not so much taking the ball on, it's more just knowing the right time to come to the net and understanding that part of the game a little bit more," he said. "It's very easy just to say 'you need to come forward more, you need to serve and volley more' or whatever. It's a lot more important just to choose the right times because the guys right now, they pass so well, they move great and, I guess, it's the best era ever for returning. You know how good guys are from the back of the court so you really need to make sure you come in at the right moment because the ball's moving so fast and guys are getting on to it so quickly – and that's something we've worked on: understanding the right shots to come forward on and where to hit the volleys."

By failing to defend his Doha title – he opted to play the Hopman Cup in Perth instead – Murray dropped down a place in the world rankings and so, as the No 5 seed, he will have to play Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals and either Andy Roddick or Juan Martin Del Potro in the semi-finals if he is stand a chance of winning his first grand slam title. He begins his campaign against Kevin Anderson, a qualifier and the world No 147 from South Africa – and further than that, Murray is not prepared to look.

"If it wasn't Rafa in the quarters, it would have been Roger or Del Potro or someone so it doesn't really make a huge difference," Murray said.

"You just need to make sure you get there, that's the most important thing. It doesn't affect me if Rafa's in my quarter if I lose in the fourth round or if I lose in the first round, so I have to focus on those ones."

This will be Murray's 17th grand slam campaign so he has plenty of experience to draw upon as he moves through the rounds. He is also a few months away from his 23rd birthday and is approaching the age when he believes he will reach his physical peak. Roger Federer, on the other hand, is 28 and having broken every record in the book may be lacking a little motivation as another long season dawns. As for Nadal, no-one is quite sure whether he can ever be quite the force he once was after struggling with tendonitis in both knees for much of last year.

Del Potro has made his move by winning the US Open, Murray has shown that he is ready to break the Roger-and-Rafa stranglehold on the world rankings by claiming the No 2 spot for three weeks last year and no-one can discount Novak Djokovic, the Australian Open champion of 2008. The time may be ripe for a changing of the guard this year.

"A lot of it depends on the first six months," Murray said. "You've got three slams in the first six months of the year and it's all about who wins them. If Roger manages to win as much as he did last year, he's got a good chance of staying top and obviously Rafa's probably going to be in better shape this year than he was last, so it's going to be very difficult, but I think there'll definitely be a lot more upsets in the slams this year than there have been in previous years."

And is Murray ready to make the most of those upsets?

"I feel like I started the year well and physically I feel good," he said. "I just need to make sure I play my best tennis. If I do that, I've got a good chance."

Relaxed, fit and prepared for whatever the Australian Open may throw at him, Murray sounds ready to attend to that unfinished business.