Wimbledon 2010: Murray's Heartbreaks, Magnified
All you ever needed to know about the difference between a Grand Slam champion and a mere Grand Slam contender was probably encapsulated within two points that Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray played in the second set tiebreak of their Wimbledon semifinal today. Serving at 4-5 down in the breaker after having won the first set 6-4, Nadal received a short ball from Murray and sprang towards the net, but instead of hitting his viciously spinning crosscourt forehand, he hit a delicate dropshot that seemed certain of winning him the point. But astonishingly, Murray, who had been pinned deep in his forehand corner on the deuce side of the court, galloped forward and managed to not only lay a racquet on the dying ball, but also hit a sharply angled backhand crosscourt half volley seemingly out of Nadal’s reach. Surely that kind of incredible effort ought to have won Murray the point? Nah – maybe in the amateur leagues. The ever-alert Nadal was spot on with his anticipation, and he lunged to his forehand side to send another volley over the net, this time making sure Murray had no chance to get anywhere near it. Murray had done everything right, but he still fell agonizingly short. This was the kind of point that gives weight to claims from some analysts that Murray can’t afford to play within himself if he ever hopes to be a Slam champion; that he has to play out of his comfort zone, to be the aggressor instead of the cunning craftsman, to beat players more physically gifted than him. In other words, he has to do what Nadal did to win his first non-clay Major back in 2008. Which is a lot easier said than done, of course.
Fast forward to one point later, after Nadal had served a highly uncharacteristic double fault at 5-5 to hand Murray a set point on serve. Murray, who had been serving at a very high percentage throughout the first two sets and had been winning nearly 90% of his first serves until then, took the ball in his hand, with nearly every Brit inside Center Court praying for a big first serve. But Murray hit the net, and there was an audible, collective groan from the crowd. No matter – Murray’s second serve had been working unusually well too, so this wasn’t as big a misfortune as it might have been for Murray in days past. To the dismay of millions, however, Murray, perhaps fearing what a double fault at this stage might do to his psyche, proceeded to send down a pitiably softball second delivery that fell well inside the service line. Predictably, Nadal instantly took charge of the point with a couple of forceful forehands, and all of a sudden the set was wide open again. Contrast this second serve with the one that Tomas Berdych hit on break point down while serving for the match against Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. Berdych’s serve fell almost bang on the service line and the pace that he generated off it only allowed Federer to send his forehand return tamely into the net. Berdych’s serve screamed “I’m here to back myself and take my chances!”. Murray’s second serve, alas, whimpered incoherently in a voice that no one could hear. Nadal had gift-wrapped a set point to Murray through his double fault to make it one set all, but Murray didn’t believe in himself enough to close the deal. There was an air of inevitability to the match after that, and even though Murray grabbed an early break of serve to start the 3rd set, you almost knew that it was only a matter of time before his spirit unraveled completely.
It’s funny, but no other player’s losses inspire as much gnashing of teeth or evoke as many calls to radically change his style of play as do Murray’s Grand Slam disappointments. Every time Murray gets blasted off the court by a big hitter in a Major, people start questioning his eclectic methods and his insistence on trying to outsmart his opponents through his patented mix of spins, slices and changes of pace. If today’s match is any evidence, however, what Murray needs to change more than anything else is his tendency to get passive on the big points of a match. Against most players, that kind of passivity is usually enough to elicit errors, because those players are themselves unaware of how to deal with the pressure of the big moment. But against the likes of Nadal and Federer, Murray’s predisposition to keep the ball in play and wait for errors simply won’t cut it, because these two champions know better than anyone else that going for your shots when the pressure is the greatest often leads to swift and smooth success. The phrase ‘fortune favors the brave’ never rang truer than when read in context of the Do’s and Don’ts of handling the game-changing moments of a match.
I’m no tennis coach, but my untrained eye tells me that the one thing that Murray REALLY needs to stop doing is going around his backhand to get the ball on his forehand. Exactly why someone whose backhand is undeniably his stronger and more consistent wing would want to abandon that weapon and instead willingly expose his weak forehand is beyond my comprehension. Every so often today Murray would push himself way out of the court to, presumably, pounce on a short ball with his forehand, but almost invariably that forehand, bereft of pace or sting, would end up right in Nadal’s strike zone, who would only be too happy to guide it into the open court for a winner or forced error. For a guy with supposedly the best tactical mind in the world of tennis, this particular strategy seemed – there’s no other way to say this – remarkably daft. Perhaps Murray saw Nadal repeatedly running around his backhand and he was tempted to match him stroke for stroke? Memo to the Murray camp – Nadal can raise some serious hell with his forehand blasts. Murray can’t. BIG difference.
Maybe it’s the effect of the unyielding attention lovingly (and at times scathingly) showered on Murray by the British media, but I’ve been so caught up with this latest chapter of ‘Murray’s Heartbreaks’ that I’ve almost forgotten about the man on the other side of the net; the man who was, believe it or not, the comfortable victor. Nadal wasn’t at his best today – far from it. The Nadal that played the 2008 quarterfinal against Murray would probably have triple-bagelled the present-day Murray. Today the World No.1 made a slew of forehand errors, his return game was off from the start, and that double fault that he served in the second set tiebreak was so out of character for him that it seemed laughable. But if Murray plays the big points with little conviction and plenty of nervousness, Nadal is the exact opposite. He simply refused to miss with his shots when it mattered most, going for that little extra pop when he sensed the opportunity to strike, and he ran down everything that Murray’s occasional aggressive strokeplay could produce. He was especially sharp with his volleys – I have always thought that Nadal’s net play is one of the most underrated aspects of his game. Nadal may not have been in the most sizzling form all through this tournament, but he has done just enough to win in every match that he’s played. And while that may not make for the most spectacular tennis imaginable, it may ultimately prove vital in enhancing Nadal’s career longevity.
Come Sunday, and we’ll get to witness the tournament’s most ferocious ball-striker lock horns with the event’s most dogged competitor. Berdych, who earlier in the day defeated Novak Djokovic a little too easily, will make his maiden Grand Slam final appearance on the 4th of July, while for Nadal it will be the 10th Major final. Is there any chance at all that Berdych will be able to handle the first really big moment of his career with anything approaching composure? I’m no betting man, but I know a long shot, make that a VERY long shot, when I see one.