Murray plays the tennis fans want to see

One month has made all of the difference for Andy Murray.  Murray went from despair in his Wimbledon final defeat to Roger Federer, to absolute joy one month later in the Olympic final against the same opponent.  So what made the difference?  There were a few factors that ushered the transformation, mainly change of mentality and approach to the game.

Because it was the change in mentality which lead to the change in approach and tactical awareness, you cannot have one before the other. And during the Olympics I saw a Murray that played consistently aggressive from start to finish in most of his matches particularly in the semifinal and the final.  

In the Olympic final, Roger Federer came into the match on the back of an incredible semifinal against Juan Martin Del Potro which lasted almost 4 hours and 30 minutes and went to 20 – 18 in the 3rd set.  Murray played two mixed doubles matches with Laura Robson on the Saturday, which left him feeling very sharp for the gold medal match.  The final started just how Murray hoped, saving two break points in his opening service game to hold, which clearly gave him confidence.  

Murray had chances on Federer’s serve early on in the match and was able to break in the 6th game of the 1st set.  Murray closed out the set impressively then incredibly went on a run of 10 straight games finding himself at 5 – 0 in the 2nd set.  Murray won the set 6-1 and then claimed the third set 6-4 to claim the best win of his career and his biggest win over Federer yet.  

There is no doubt this should be seen as a turning point for Murray as this win will give him considerable confidence to know he can play with the top guys in a best of  5 set final.  Murray’s decision to employ ex champion Ivan Lendl as his coach in January 2012 is now looking a wise decision.  The change Lendl has bought to Murray’s game over the 7 months has been both mental and tactical.

On a tactical level, Murray’s serve has been both one of his best weapons and a liability as he is capable of serving some of the biggest first serves but very poor 2nd serves; the contrast between the two deliveries has been too great.  In a big match, once Murray missed 1st serves consistently, his 2nd serve delivery has been too attackable, especially if his percentage dropped below 60%.  Federer was able to exploit this weakness during the Wimbledon final, by employing the drive backhand return more than usual and the chip and charge manoeuvre on a regular basis.  By hitting weaker 2nd serves, it sent the message that he was willing to counterpunch which allowed Federer to get on top in the rallies.

During the Olympic final, the tables turned completely because Murray was willing to go for the big shot earlier in the rally, particularly down the lines testing Federer’s movement and running forehand.  The tactic worked because it made Federer think and made him look a half step slow.  Murray also changed his serving pattern during the Olympic final.  I’ve been advocating that Murray needs to find a big serve down the middle (T) on the ad court as he relies too much on the big serve out wide to the backhand on the big points.  

During the Olympic final, Murray found speeds of 120mph (190kph) plus down the middle, serving bigger made a big difference because it made Federer stretch more and gave him more leeway to go wide to the backhand.  The big slider serve down the middle is an underused shot in modern tennis but it is vital if a player wants to win at the very highest level.

Another area where it can be seen Lendl has made a difference is Murray’s shot selection.  Murray was not as afraid to make mistakes in the semifinal and final as he was in the past.  To hit the big shots, you have to be prepared to make mistakes and when Murray missed a big shot, he composed himself quickly, instead of complaining and gesticulating.  This a very good sign going forward for Murray and his fans and  reminds me of Ivan Lendl’s motto when he was a top player in the 1980s and early 1990s “crush or be crushed!”  

The tactic of going for his shots is perfect for hardcourt tennis, and hardcourts are Murray’s favourite surface; this sets him up beautifully for Cincinnati and more importantly the US Open in September.  Murray should now be seen as one of the strong favourites for this event along with Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.  The best part of Murray’s career could be yet to come and a major title could be closer than ever with Murray’s new found confidence and tactical improvements.