Murray Can Win a Slam
Andy Murray says that he can win a Grand Slam tournament if he keeps his belief up and maintains good performances.
Murray has come close to winning all four Grand Slam events so far during his career but he has always fallen at the final hurdle against a better player. He has looked very disappointed at some points during the season and many have said that his loss to Rafa Nadal at Wimbledon will be a massive blow.
However, all of the players that Murray has lost to have said that Murray is far better than some of the Grand Slam champions who have won events at various points in the distant and recent past. They have also said that he is too good a player to go through his whole career without winning a big event.
This does not ignore the fact that Murray cannot seem to overcome the pressure each time he does well in a Grand Slam event and he will have to get over his Wimbledon disappointment very quickly as he starts preparations for the US Open.
Generation
One of the main reasons that Murray has not been able to break his Grand Slam duck is the fact that he is playing in a truly gifted generation of players. He is regularly competing against the greatest player of all time, Roger Federer, and the only person with a realistic chance of breaking Federer's records, Rafael Nadal.
Murray is not a bad player by any means and you do not get into Grand Slam finals if you are a bad player. The law of averages will even itself out sooner or later and if Murray can keep making sure that he is in final situations then he will win something eventually.
The problem for him will be keeping the belief that he can win because it will be very easy for him to let his head drop. The second he loses the belief is the second that he may as well announce his retirement from the game. This belief is the thing, which will keep him going through the hard times.
Pressure
It's very naive to say that pressure is the main reason that Murray has lost in various final and semi-final situations. It is a factor but he is no stranger to pressure and it's not the reason he loses important games.
The reason he loses important games is the fact that he is often playing against players who can maintain a performance level for far longer than he can. This means that over the course of a longer tennis match they will always come out on top.
Murray should enjoy the focus and attention because it will help him to keep his belief high along with his confidence. He played very well at Wimbledon and ran into someone who is in the best form of his life. He cannot let this dent his own belief.
Advice
The American hard courts are Murray's best surface but a lot depends on how he reacts from the disappointment of Wimbledon. He was clearly devastated after losing to Nadal and it was painful to see how downbeat he was.
If you fancy him to win the US Open then he can do it but be a little more cautious and wait to see how he plays in one of the warm up events on the hard courts. This will let you judge his frame of mind and his form on the surface. It could well turn out to be the case that he is more determined than ever to do well.
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