"He must be looking at what Rafa & Novak has done" - Andy Murray still figuring out how to finish matches quicker, says Mats Wilander
Swedish tennis legend Mats Wilander recently claimed that Andy Murray is still trying to figure out how to end matches as quickly as he did in his prime.
Murray has won all six of his matches in deciding sets this season and has been involved in several marathon contests. His second-round match at the 2023 Australian Open against Thanasi Kokkinakis lasted five hours and 45 minutes. That was the longest match of his career and the third-latest finish to a tennis match on record.
Wilander shared his thoughts on this in a recent interview with Eurosport. He stated that while Andy Murray must be happy to win long matches, he must also be wondering what Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic do to win efficiently.
Wilander believes that Murray, a former World No. 1, would be hoping to find ways to finish matches as quickly as he did in his golden years.
"I think he welcomes the challenge of being a professional tennis player day in and day out again," Wilander said.
"Now, of course, Murray is very happy winning these matches. But on the other hand, I think he must be looking at what Rafa has done in the last few years and what Novak has done in the last few years. And he has to be thinking, 'Well, hold on, I used to do what they're doing, why can't I do that again?'" he added.
The seven-time Major champion went on to say that whenever Andy Murray loses a match, he is probably thinking about working harder on his skills. Wilander added that he loves the Brit's fight and that he hopes to see him win big tournaments again.
"So I think that while he's happy to be winning these matches and to be in the limelight again, I think anytime that he loses, he's most probably thinking 'OK, I need to work harder, I need to work on my serve, I need to hit my forehand harder'," Wilander said.
"So I think Murray is just in a process and he's trying to improve his tennis, and people around the world, we are absolutely loving the fight that he brings and I'd love to see him win big tournaments again," he added.
What is next for Andy Murray?
Andy Murray would be hopig to put in another strong performance at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, after finishing runner-up at the Qatar Open in Doha. This will be Murray's 15th visit to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, with his best result coming in 2009 when he finished as the runner-up.
The Brit will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the opening round on Thursday, February 9. If he gets past the Argentine, Murray will face either Daniel Evans or Jack Draper in the Round of 32.