Andy Murray’s lack of weapon could cost him Grand Slam
Let’s not be mistaken here, Andy Murray is a very good tennis player. In fact there are currently only three better players in the world, based on world rankings.
But if we are being realistic and truthful with ourselves, Murray’s game does leave something to be desired. Yes, he does have a good all-round game but when you consider what the British No.1 would consider as his biggest weapon, you kind of have to scratch your head and think hard.
You can’t say he’s got a great forehand, his backhand doesn’t strike fear into his opponents, he rarely comes into the net, and his serve is inconsistent – although he does have a big one – highlighted by his 55% first-serve statistic for the year.
What you can say, however, is he does have one of the best returns of serve on the tour, is one of the fittest players out there and does possess the ability to hit cross-court backhand winners.But fitness and return of serve are not weapons, they are skills or attributes – call them what you like – which can give you an advantage over your opponent something Murray certainly uses very well.
If you describe a weapon in tennis as a shot which can win you a point from anywhere on the court or at any point during a rally and it’s clear Murray hasn’t got one.
Compare him to some of the other players in the top 10 and the lack of a weapon becomes very apparent, especially in grand slams. World No.1 Rafa Nadal has a big forehand he can rely on, Novak Djokovic has one of the best backhands on tour, Robin Soderling can bludgeon you with his forehand, Tomas Berdych too showed he can overpower you on the forehand, Andy Roddick has a huge serve he counts on, and last year’s US Open Champion Juan Martin del Potro has a big serve to go along with a big forehand – something Roger Federer found out in the US Open final last year – not to mention Federer himself in this list.
And because Murray doesn’t have the weapon he’s going to have to run every ball down, return serve well and be tactically ready every game against the world’s best players. The lack of a special shot becomes more evident in the two grand slam finals Murray has played against Rodger Federer.
Each time Federer has wiped the floor with the Brit and each time the Swiss has put on a master class. It might seem a bit harsh to criticise Murray for losing to Federer, but Del Potro managed to beat him in a final and Djokovic beat the 16-time grand slam champion in the semi-finals of the Australian Open when he won his maiden grand slam.
Because Murray lacks that special shot, he has to work harder and over the course of a grand slam and come the final he could just be worn out physically. Also consider that aforementioned first serve percentage for the year of only 55%, and you’ve got to wonder if Murray has what it takes to win one of the slams.
Clearly Murray uses his talents well and clearly he is a massive contender for the US Open this year but if he’s to win his first slam, most likely he will have to go through Nadal and Federer/Djokovic - a task that might again just be too much for the world No.4.
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