More positive Murray will 'win a lot of Slams'

Published on Sunday 5 July 2009 23:31

ANDY Murray is capable of winning Grand Slams if he can uncover a more clinical attack according to the man who helped bring about his downfall at Wimbledon.

Larry Stefanki, a leading tennis coach hired by Andy Roddick in December, revealed in an interview with Radio Wimbledon at the weekend he had pinpointed Murray's second serve as a weakness to exploit in Friday's semi-final match, but still felt the young Scot contributed to his defeat by playing too defensively against the American.

He said: "He has to change his mentality of the way he wants to play this game at the very top level. He is stuck playing defensive tennis and that was the big difference (on Friday]. I don't think he played enough offence.

"Murray plays it very smart, but I still believe the game is played in the forecourt and at the net in order to win some big titles. You can get through the juniors just being a pusher, a retriever getting balls back – I call that negative tennis – but that's not going to win you Slams.

"You have to have some offensive threat. He has developed a big serve and can move the ball from A to B as well as anybody; he just does not know when to do it. He has the potential to play a lot more aggressively because he has the foot speed and can move the ball very quickly, but he has chosen not to do that."

It is easy for any avid tennis fan to pinpoint areas where Murray came up short on Friday in a terrific match that turned on very little; easy for Murray, too. But, Stefanki has a good knowledge of the tennis circuit and what is needed at the top level, having worked with world No1s John McEnroe, Marcelo Rios and Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the past, as well as former British No1 Tim Henman, so his comments carry some weight.

He apparently turned down the chance to work with Murray when the Scot was just 19, as he was concerned about the "baggage" that came with the fast-rising British star. Some interpreted his remarks at the weekend as being unnecessarily critical, but the 51-year-old coach was keen to stress that he was a big fan of the Scot's and hoped his responses to questions on why his man prevailed would be used constructively.

"I like Andy Murray a lot and I respect his game," he said. "Beside Roger Federer, he is the best mover in the game. He has the best footwork and he is technically very sound.

"His record is great and he is a very strong-minded kid, and I like that. All I'm saying is that he needs to recognise when to play offence to win the big titles. I don't think he sees it while he is playing right now and that's the next step for him.

"But he is going to have a great future if he gets to the point of recognising the balls to attack and to come into the forecourt and play there rather than 15 feet behind the baseline. He will definitely win a lot of Slams because he is that good a mover. He also has plenty of weapons and he hits the ball as cleanly as anybody – now he has to learn when to use them and really unload on certain balls. I don't see him doing that yet."

Roddick, he explained, had improved his game by learning when to attack and when to step back and be more controlled, and a serious focus on his return of serve was a key factor in his taking Roger Federer to five sets, and then some, in another gripping Wimbledon final.

Stefanki said it had taken six months to hone that part of Roddick's game, with much court and gym work, but he is confident that Murray could enhance his attacking threat in a much shorter time and with more emphasis on the cerebral than the physical.

Murray admits the disappointment was hard to take, but he is determined to bounce back. He told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme: "I'm still obviously going to be disappointed, but I feel I gave it my best shot.

"I came up against a guy that served incredible and played great tennis. Sometimes you have to say that was too good and the other guy played better.

"I've got to work on my game and try to get better, come back next year and hopefully go one better."

Murray will now turn his attention to hard-court tennis ahead of the US Open in the autumn.

He added: "I'll use it as motivation to try to improve. I've got to go away, work harder than I had before and make sure I'm in the best shape possible going into the American stretch."

The expectations placed on Murray from the home crowd were immense, but the Scot did not feel the pressure got to him. He said: "In the build-up to a tournament it is difficult, but once it starts it doesn't really become a problem. Once I'd got through my first match – I was a bit nervous there – I felt fine. I didn't feel the pressure got to me or made a huge difference to the way I played. I enjoyed the two weeks. I didn't put too much pressure on myself or get too stressed about it."