Brave Andy Murray second best again but the gap is closing
"You never want to come off having regrets" Picture: Getty
IT WILL not seem much by way of compensation on the long flight home to London – and it may seem like a defeatist statement – but Andy Murray could not have lost any better than he did in the semi-finals of the Australian Open yesterday.
For almost five hours, he battled harder than he has ever done, he took more risks than he has ever dared, he kept his head and his temper for longer than ever before and, finally, after 345 brutal, physical and frequently painful points, he came a couple of backhands away from beating Novak Djokovic, the world No 1, and reaching his third final in Melbourne. Murray lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-1, 7-5, but this was the match that showed the rest of the world – and Murray himself – that he really is a fag paper away from winning a major title.
A year ago, he walked away from Melbourne Park looking dejected. He had just been comprehensively outplayed by Djokovic over three depressing sets in the final. At the time, he was the world No 5 (Djokovic was No 3) but he was just 480 ranking points behind the Serb. No matter – he seemed a million miles away from the man who was just at the start of one of the most spectacular years in the sport’s history. This time around, Murray is the world No 4, Djokovic is the No 1 by a country mile – Murray is 6,250 points behind him – and yet, after their four hour, 50 minute titanic struggle, there is barely anything between them. That, at least, gives Murray cause for pride despite the bitter disappointment.
“It’s the effort that I’m most proud of, I think,” Murray said. “That’s the one thing: you never want to come off the court having any regrets or thinking ‘could I have pushed a little bit more?’ I couldn’t really, so that’s the thing. Again, everyone just sees this match, but there’s so much more that goes into this tournament in terms of the way you prepare, the way you work in December. I’ve been away from home for two months and a lot goes into it. So, I prepared as well as I could, I played probably as well as I could at this stage and did all the right things, so I can’t be disappointed with it.”
For a set and two games, Murray was outplayed tactically. Then, a set and a break down, he started to attack. That pushed Djokovic back on his heels and the more Murray made him run, the more exhausted the Serb looked. Breathing hard and taking longer and longer between each point, he seemed spent.
For two sets, Murray tried to run his rival ragged and, after a marathon 88-minute third set, he appeared to achieved his goal. And then Djokovic bounced back. Now it was Murray who was hurting and sluggish. Now it was Murray, one of the fittest men on the tour, who could not get his legs to move. On the other side of the net, Djokovic was doing his Lazarus impersonation and running to retrieve every ball. Either he was a miracle of modern science or he had been playing possum for the past two sets and two-and-half hours. A year ago, that sort of behaviour might have distracted Murray but not now, not now that he has Ivan Lendl, old Stone Face, in his corner.
“It’s not annoying,” Murray explained, “but I think sometimes, if it was me, I’d be getting judged and people would be saying ‘that Andy’s play-acting’, or ‘Andy’s doing this and that’. I’m not saying Novak is – I am sure he was struggling. But I feel like, if it was me, I would be getting criticised a lot for doing what he does.
“But I know in a match like tonight, I know how I felt and there is a lot of ups and downs physically. Sometimes you do feel great and sometimes you feel crap. So I don’t look at him and think, ‘he’s being an idiot’. I just know that he’s going to be fine in a few minutes. So you don’t lose your concentration over it.”
Lendl had warned Murray to be prepared to hurt when he took on Djokovic. The wise old mentor knew the encounter would be physical and it would be long and when his lungs are bursting and his legs are burning, that is when Murray could lose his focus. But as Lendl watched impassively from the players’ box, his new charge kept his cool. That was another positive that Murray could take from the defeat, one that will stand him in good stead as the year progresses.
“I think I did a good job of that,” Murray said. “Obviously matches like that, it was a very emotional match, you’re going to have ups and downs, and bits where you’re sort of trying to gee yourself on and you’re also trying not to get too pumped up either, and I did a good job with that. It probably helped me conserve my energy a little bit better but I can still improve that as well.” What needs no improvement is Murray’s fighting spirit. His comeback from 5-2 down in the fifth set, a moment when all seemed lost, showed everyone that the Scot is ready to beat the best on the biggest stages. Winning three games on the trot, he held three break points to take a 6-5 lead. Had he done so, he would, in all likelihood, have won the match.
But he missed a couple of backhands, the chances went begging and it is Djokovic who will face Rafael Nadal in tomorrow’s final. But Djokovic knows that Murray is on the up – he knows that he will face serious competition in the coming months.
“He was more confident on the court,” Djokovic said. “He was taking his chances. He was being more aggressive. I think he was playing better. He’s so close to winning the Grand Slam. He’s one of the best players in the world, that’s for sure.”
It will be a long and tedious flight home for Murray but after this year’s performance in Melbourne, at least he knows that there is plenty to look forward to as the season unfolds.
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